Age can reduce hand-eye coordination and lead you to believe that your eyes are failing you, while it could just be that your reaction time has slowed down. Your brain is clearly processing what you’re seeing, it’s just not signaling it to your arms and hands fast enough.
Which can actually be a good problem to have, in the sense that it might be fixable. With the right exercise or activities, you’ll likely be able to improve your hand-eye coordination.
All exercise is good for the brain unless it involves taking punches, tackles, or body checks. But when it comes to hand-eye coordination, some are better than others.
Racquet sports can really help. Your eyes spot a ball and train your body to meet up with it. Racquetball, tennis, squash, or pickleball are all great options.
Swimming is another sport that can help with coordination. Because your arms and hands are operating outside of your field of vision, you can visualize what they’re doing and think to control them.
Tai chi, a form of mediation/exercise that uses slow, flowing motions, can help you focus on mind-muscle connections and thinking about intricate, controlled movement.
Non-contact boxing, like shadow boxing or hitting soft pads, can help with hand-eye coordination, too.
If you’re not in the market for taking on a sport, there are activities you can do alone or with friends. Knitting, bouncing a ball against a wall, sewing, playing catch, drawing, and even video games may help.