Opthamologist Drishti

Recently I underwent opthamology testing spread over two appointments. Where I had little experience with eye exams I had a considerable amount of resistance to the idea of anything touching my eyes, whether a puff of air, drops, fingers or an instrument. Everything was fine until the last examination where the opthamologist used a mirrored device that actually came in contact with each eye ball for several minutes. Oh boy. Well, I recruited drishti (gazing) practice from hatha yoga. It all came back: gazing at a spot on a wall during asana or seated for concentration (dharana) gazing at a candle and an orange dot. Instead of the previously mentioned points of focus it was the side of the doctor's ear as he suggested. It worked! I didn't blink but breathed, steadied my awareness on the eye sensations and released tension elsewhere in my body.