Purpose: To improve ability to organize and visually track while maintaining peripheral awareness.

Materials: Hart Chart Eye patch Metronome

Procedure: Level I – Straight Across

1. The patient stands in a relaxed an balanced posture. One eye is patched.

2. The Hart Chart is placed at eye level. The patient should be a comfortable distance (2-3 feet) from the chart. Set the metronome at sixty beats per minute.

3. The patient is asked to read the letters out loud in a rhythmic fashion without moving their head – one letter per beat of the metronome. The patient reads the entire chart proceeding from left to right, top to bottom. The patient should be encouraged to maintain peripheral awareness of the whole chart and of other objects in the room.

4. Repeat for the other eye. As this becomes easier, take several steps back from the chart.

5. If there are significant differences between the eyes, practice the poorer eye more frequently.

Level II – Outside In

1. Have the patient start with the first line of letters and read in the following order: first letter, last letter, second letter, second from last letter, and so on.

2. The patient should read each line from the ends to the middle in this fashion.

Level III – Columns 1. The patient reads the first and last letter of each line. When they get to the bottom of the chart, they should proceed to the second and second-to-last letter of each row. When these two columns are completed, the patient should move to the next two columns in and so on. Level IV – Obliques

1. When the above activities have been mastered, the patient begins reading the first letter of the first column, last letter of the last column, second letter in the first column and next to last letter in the last column. (He reads the first column top to bottom alternating with the last column bottom to top.)

2. When this has been achieved, the patient should progress to the second and second to last column. Repeat with the remaining columns.