HabitAware is proud to partnered with American Printing house for the blind (APH) to develop OpticAware for the visually impaired community.
Eye pressing is a common behavior among the visually impaired, that serves as a self-soothing behavior. OpticAware vibrates when they do, to let the wearer bring awareness to their eye pressing. This is not simply a behavior modification tool; it is a self-care reminder to choose healthier coping strategies. By bringing awareness to your actions, OpticAware empowers you to make positive changes and improve your overall eye health.
Eye pressing is often compared to other self-stimulatory behaviors or “stims” like rocking or hand flapping.
Triggers might be bedtime, carseat time, being in class. Everyone is different. Some children who eye-press develop sunken eyes, keratoconus (a change in corneal shape over time), or eye infections.
A similar behavior is eye-poking. OpticAware can also help with eye-poking. These behaviors are normally restricted to the visually impaired; prolonged eye-pressing is the most common.