Here’s something to think about if there’s a big difference in the vision between your 2 eyes. In Chinese medicine, the right eye is the Father Eye, representing the male part of you (yes, women have this too), the yang going-for-it energy, or relationships with your father or other males in your life. The left eye is the Mother Eye, the gentler yin nurturing receiving energy, showing how you see that side of you, and relationships with your mother or other women.
So how does this help in understanding our vision anomalies? My vision teacher tells a story of a female patient who began developing a cataract in her right eye in her 40s, much earlier than would be expected. It turned out her father had recently died, and she’d gone through a divorce, both causing her not to want to look at situations with the important males in her life.
After some vision therapy and grieving work, her right eye cataract cleared up, and her vision was good for 10 years. Then her mother died, and she started developing a cataract in the left eye! This time she couldn’t let herself look at the painful loss of this important female conection.
Another example: an energy medicine student friend contacted me asking if I’d work with her, saying she’d recently started feeling some soreness in her right eye. In a brief “What’s going on with you lately?” chat I found that she had just gone through a painful breakup with the guy she’d been dating. Painful breakup with a male, then right eye soreness: I don’t want to see how much this man hurt me. Sometimes the body is so literal in its messages!
My own left eye sees more blurry than my right, and has measured at times 3 diopters weaker, and at other times only 1/2 diopter weaker. (Yes, vision varies — we are not machines!) I had a difficult relationship with my mother as a child, did not want to be a girl myself, and until recently always related better to men than women. So it’s no surprise my left eye hasn’t wanted to see clearly.
If I get frightened, my left eye retreats first and fastest. So I spend time almost every day coaxing it out with the stronger right eye patched, not babying the timid left eye, and not criticizing it either. It is slowly becoming more visually confident as I depend on it. My periphery is widening to the left side which is very gratifying.
Cherish and appreciate the vision you have, and realize it’s information from your body and brain about your physical and emotional state. If a scene suddenly looks more blurry, this may not mean you need glasses, or stronger ones! See if you can decipher the message from your eyes and mind about what they really need, which could be rest, or consoling, or more joy, or time to grieve, or something else. Treat your precious visual system like a friend, listening closely to what he or she tells you. Your eyes will be happier (both of them!), and will do their best to see clearly for you.
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I wore strong glasses, then contact lenses, from age 5 into my 40s. While making many mistakes, eventually l learned how to improve the way I use my eyes and to see in a more relaxed, healthy manner. It is my pleasure to coach others to do the same. Visit me at https://NancyLNeff.com.
I did an exercise recently called “Conversation with your Eyes” where you literally talk to and listen to your eyes. That night I had a dream about being on the phone with “Jenny,” who lived very far away. I really liked her and knew we could be such good friends if she just didn’t live so far away. Then she wanted me to talk to her husband so I did for a little while. Then I asked him his name because I wanted to write down his and his wife’s name, address and phone number in my address book. He said his name was “Performance.” I couldn’t believe that was his name and said I would call him “Bob” until he told me his real name. Bob wanted to talk to my husband and hear his story in exchange for something(I can’t remember what). I know this dream was about my eyes! Jenny means fair and Bob means bright/fame so that is how I am supposed to see them. It’s pretty obvious my right eye has been stressed about all the performing I’ve done in my life and I need to get more balanced and better aquainted with my left eye and give Bob a break. It’s interesting that while I’m right eye dominant my left eye actually sees better.
Hi Leah, and what a great dream! I’ve done work with others about their right eye “older brother” doing most of the seeing work while their left eye “little sister” isn’t using her skills, and them learning to work together as a team with their different strengths. So you may want to play with this idea too. Thanks so much for commenting.
Totally agree with this post, my mother and father divorced, when I was young, and I was raised by my mother, as well as my grandmother and aunts. And Because I think I have a stronger connection to left/female side of myself, despite being male and being naturally right handed ( I taught myself to use the left). If I look at my life I’ve had more female friends, and I am always afraid of making a connection with other men. In terms of my eyes and body, my left eye is more relaxed, and my left body is much more flexible when compared to the right. As I’ve improved my vision I’ve noticed that my left eye will relax first, and then my right eye will follow slowly. Great post Nancy
Thanks — I’m just seeing this. Now that you’ve got this heightened awareness of yourself, you can slowly start to make changes if you want to, rather than wailing “Why am I like this?” as if you’re a helpless victim. Good work!
Thanks for the comment, which I am just seeing now. (It’s been fixed so the author of a post sees comments right away.) Usually I see folks who have suppressed their left side, since the culture rewards the male “go out and make it happen!” dynamic more than the nurturing supportive female one, for both men and women. I always tell folks you do not want to suppress your primary side, hoping the weaker side will “catch up”. You can rely on your strong side, while gradually strengthening the less dominant one. Good for you for your awareness of this!