Free eye exercise · Level 1 of the Three Cups series
Free eye exercises
Explore the Three Cups eye exercise and receive additional lessons by email. Level 1 is below: a four-minute focus workout you can do at your desk with nothing but a pen.
- 4 minutes per session
- A pen or pencil is all you need
- 12 to 24 inches from your screen
- Level 1 today, Level 2a by email
Did you know that you can exercise your eyes to naturally improve your vision? It’s true!* Just as you might hit the gym for bench presses and squats, you can do simple exercises that strengthen your eyes and help rebuild your vision. If you want to protect your vision for years to come, add eye exercises to your daily routine.
The Three Cups exercise is a great place to start. It trains your eyes to converge and relax on demand, and it works for both nearsighted and farsighted people. Follow the seven steps below.
Before you start
- Supplies needed: a pen or pencil.
- Time needed: about 4 minutes.
- Where: a comfortable chair, 12 to 24 inches from the screen, with the diagram at eye level.
The exercise, step by step
Step 1Look at the image
Refer to the image above labeled “#3 – 3 Cups.” You can do the exercise on screen, or print the diagram and use the paper copy.
Step 2Position yourself
Sit relaxed and adjust your chair so that you are 12 to 24 inches from the screen, with the image at eye level. If the image is not perfectly clear to you, that’s all right, as long as you can make out the two circles.
Step 3Position the pen
Hold the pen vertically between the two circles, about 1 inch from the screen. The top of the pen should be level with the image.
Step 4Move the pen
Focus on the top of the pen as you slowly bring it toward your face (see Figure 3.2). As the pen gets closer you will notice the two circles appear to become three. When the three circles look the same shape and size, stop moving the pen.
Step 5Shift your focus
Try to shift your focus from the pen to the center circle. This may be difficult and can take a few days to master. It is completely normal if you cannot focus on the center circle the first time you try.
Step 6Move the pen again
Once you can focus on the center circle, move the pen away while keeping your focus. Try to see the center circle as clearly as you can. As your focus improves the center circle becomes three-dimensional, as if you were peering down into a Styrofoam cup (Figure 3.3).
Step 7Create three circles
Your final goal for Level 1 is to look at the two circles and create the three, the center one appearing three-dimensional, without using the pen. Once you can do that easily, you are ready for Level 2a.
Three circles from two, the center one three-dimensional, with no pen. Most people need a few days of short daily sessions to get there, so do not worry if it takes a while. When it comes easily, sign up below and Level 2a opens.
Next up · Level 2a
Mastered Level 1? Level 2a is waiting
Level 2a moves the exercise off the screen and onto a printed chart, so your eyes learn to hold the center circle while relaxed on a distant object. Sign up and we open it for you.
- Enter your name and email. We send you one short email.
- Click the button in it. That confirms the address really is yours.
- Level 2a opens straight away, with its printable chart.
You will also start 5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Eye Health Now, our free five-lesson email series, one lesson at a time. Your email is never shared or rented, and every email has an unsubscribe link.
I’m ready for Level 2a
If it is not working yet
Three fixes for the three things that go wrong. Almost everyone hits one of these in the first week. None of them means the exercise is not for you.
You cannot create the third circle
Move a little closer to or farther from the screen. Your eyes may also have tired quickly, so briefly look away, or do the Distant Night exercise from the full program, to refresh them before you try again.
You see four circles
Focus closer to the tip of your nose. Bring the pen nearer your face and keep your eyes on its tip; the four circles should merge into three. Moving a few inches farther from the screen also helps.
You cannot focus on the center circle
This is normal when you first do the exercise. Focus on the top of the pen, then slowly look over it at the center circle. Keep going back and forth between the two until you can hold the center circle without the pen.
