TOTAL FRUSTATION HAS SET IN!!!!!!!!!!!

[CROOKEDSMILE]

OKAY. DOES THIS EYE EXERCISE THAT MY THERAPIST RECOMMENDED REALLY HELP STRENGTHEN THE BLINK RELFEX. I STILL CAN'T BLINK AND DON'T SEE ANY IMPROVEMENT. HOW LONG DO THE EXERCISES TAKE TO WORK???

[calimama]

sorry, but i am curious, what is the exercise??

sorry to hear of your frustration. ug.

[CROOKEDSMILE]

She has me closing my good eye and looking downward with my hands in my lap while wiggling my fingers. Keep focusing on the wiggling fingers while looking down as far as you can until the eye closes and you can't see your fingers anymore. Once you look down as hard as you can then you hold it for 5-10 seconds to work the muscle. She said this teaches the brain to close the eyelid rather than to just roll back in your head "thinking" that it's closed. (bell's phenomona) She said it takes about 2months for the muscle to respond to the exercise. She trained under Jackie Diehls so I guess I need to trust that it works. It just seems silly.

[lori67]

Cathey has me doing the same thing, except with looking down into a mirror.

How long have you been doing the exercises?

Lori

[Debbi]

I am by no means an expert on this - yet.  However, I share your frustration with many of the exercises - it does seem, at times, that they're just pointless.  However, when I got that little twitch back in my lower cheek a couple of weeks ago, it gave me the motivation to continue, not matter how little progress I see. 

It sounds like you are under the care of an excellent therapist, so it may just be a matter of having faith and giving it more time.

Debbi

[cinnamon]

I think that is a really good exercise. I will begin doing that today. Any other good suggestions from you therapist. My facial therapist didn't say anything about this one. Thanks for the important information.

Lisa H.

[Jeanlea]

I started doing that exercise on my own when I noticed my eye closed better when I looked down.  It does work.  Now my eye closes on its own fairly easily.  It still doesn't "blink" as in closing as quickly and opening as my other eye, but it does close fairly quick.  It seems to work better when I'm not thinking about it.  This whole process takes so much patience.  It does get better over time.  I've been working on my patience for nearly 3 years now.  :-)

Jean

[Karen]

Hi, I go to Jackie Diels and she has me doing the same eye exercise.  I have been doing it since May 19th .  She always tells me these exercises take a while to work, so keep trying.  Ihave been seeing Jackie for about two years now and love her!!!  Karen