Innovation, especially where it comes to treatment options for people undergoing vision therapy, can be a great help. More so if that innovation is something easy to do, and requires little more than a tool already in the box.

The Brock string, a commonly used tool in vision therapy, consists of a flexible white cord or string around 10-15 feet in length and colored wooden beads which can be moved along the length of the string.

Typically, it is used to test the ability of the eyes to focus on an object at various distances and therefore useful in working with patients who have issues like convergence insufficiency, amblyopia (lazy eye), and strabismus.

However, a clever modification to the familiar brock string can also be useful to help patients work on their peripheral vision.

This works by adding a clear plastic disk onto the string, and on this disk are two black rings, one on the inside and the other on the outside. As the patient focuses on the bead, they can try to keep the rings on the disk in their peripheral vision.

This helps with the process of going from central to peripheral organization of information, something which is extremely important for things like reading and sports.

A clever new use for a well known tool!