What it means if you can blur your own vision and when to be concerned

If you've ever sat there and realised you can zone out and blur your vision on demand, congratulations - you're in possession of 'the world's most useless superpower'. But when should you be worried?

The human body can do some pretty incredible things, childbirth being a prime example. But it also has the ability to carry out some far less useful functions.

In a TikTok video that has been viewed more than 190k times, NHS surgeon Dr Karan Rajan (@drkaranraj) has explained what people are calling a 'superpower' vision ability.

Why can some people manually blur their vision?

Stitching a video captioned "POV: you are one of those who know how to blur their eyes," the surgeon began: "Congratulations, you've unlocked the world's most useless superpower.

"When you focus on an object, your ciliary muscles contract," he explains.

"This causes the lens in your eye to become fatter and rounder. It increases the refractive or light-bending powers of the lens, helping the light rays to be focused at the retina at the back of the eye so you see things more clearly."

The medic went on to explain that when you blur your vision on command, you're essentially doing a 'manual system override'.

"You are voluntarily relaxing the ciliary muscle. And just like biological play-doh, you turn that lens thinner and flatter," he said.

"This reduces the refractive power of the lens, leading to a blurred image."

And the strange skill actually has a proper name.

This so-called 'cheat code' is actually called 'negative accommodation' or 'intentional divergent squint' due to the fact your eyes are 'slightly drifting apart'.

When could it actually indicate a health problem?

While manually unfocusing your eyes is generally harmless, he warns that doing it excessively may lead to 'visual strain and fatigue.'

"And repeating this divergent squint too often could disrupt your normal binocular vision, coordination between the eyes, and eye alignment," he explains, advising that we 'glitch out' in moderation.

However, if this blurred vision is happening beyond your control, it may be a sign of something more serious.

Binocular vision dysfunction (BVD) is an umbrella term for a number of conditions that occur when the eyes are misaligned, making it difficult to see what's in front of us as a single, clear image.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, BVD can cause vision problems including blurred vision, double vision, sensitivity to light and trouble seeing at night.

And, because your vision is so deeply connected to the other senses, it can lead to a whole load of other issues including problems with balance and coordination, vertigo, dizziness and nausea.

If you're worried about your vision, pay a visit to your GP or an optician who can perform some simple eye tests and refer you for further treatment if needed.