Old Wives Tale #2: Crossing Your Eyes Permanently Crosses Them

• Posted by admin
• 27th July 2010
• in AVC Advice, AVC Explains, News, Urban Myths

Heard the one about how crossing your eyes can lead them to become permanently crossed? Deriving from the same school of thought as, ‘If the wind changes direction, your face will stick like that,’ this is another classic old wives’ tale.

Thankfully, pulling a cross-eyed expression for the amusement – perhaps – of your friends and family will have no lasting ill effects for your eyes. When we focus on an object close-up our eyes naturally come together, so crossing your eyes deliberately is merely an exaggeration of this response.

For those of you who have never quite got the hang of the enviable art of eye-crossing, you can follow AVC’s top tips below and become an eye-crossing expert in no time at all!*

• To get started, simply focus on one object at eye level – such as a finger. The best location is one that is level with the bridge of your nose, about 1-3 inches away

• Slowly bring your finger closer to your face. Keep your focus

• When you’re ready, slowly move your finger out of sight, but try your best to hang on to your by now crossed eye expression

• Practicing in a dim light might make things easier, as there is less for your eyes to try to focus on, and
therefore less distraction

• You won’t be able to check yourself that you are crossing your eyes correctly, so have a friend on
hand to critique!

• Once you get a real feel for crossing your eyes, you’ll find that you can start doing it instantly, without
the need for a focusing prop like a finger

• Eye-crossing veterans should consider the next-level trick of crossing one eye but not the other. Start by
looking hard with both eyes to either the right or the left, then cross your eyes without moving them
back to the centre. Once you get the hang of doing this from either side you’ll even be able to shake your
head and shift the one crossed eye over to the other side!

*Possibly