Re: Freeviewing

[P3D Jim Crowell <crowell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 16:33 9/18/96, P3D Mike Aversa wrote:
>Once again... the subject of freeviewing has piqued my interest... Clifford
>says that he does because he can... well,  i don't because i can't!!  I have
>tried and tried and can't seem to get it.  Any suggestions from the
>old-timers in the group on how to freeview??  Is it possible that some
>people because of their sight are not able to freeview?  or is it possible
>for all to freeview with practice?

This is a re-hash from several months back, old-timers might want to skip
this...

One of the main factors in determining which kind of free-viewing is easier
is how well your linkup between convergence (how close your eyes are
pointed) & accomodation (what distance your eyes are focused at) is
calibrated.  I'm an exophore, which means my eyes have a natural tendency
to diverge, so I find wall-eyed viewing easy; an esophore has the opposite
tendency & will generally find cross-eyed viewing relatively easier.

Someone just mentioned that they found it easier to free-view (wall-eyed)
with the glasses off.  I presume that person is near-sighted; taking the
glasses off would force the eyes to focus at a greater distance, which
would force the eyes to diverge.

It's been my experience that most people find cross-eyed viewing easier.
Bob Wier mentioned one good way to learn how using a piece of paper with a
hole in it.  I've got another way described on my old web site up at
Berkeley; the URL is
http://john.berkeley.edu/IndividualPages/JimPages/FreeViewing.html

-Jim C.

----------------------
Jim Crowell
Division of Biology
216-76
Caltech
Pasadena, CA
(818) 395-8337
jim@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



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