Good balance depends on many different parts of our nervous system and musculoskeletal system working well together. For good balance we need muscular strength in the trunk and legs, good sensation in our feet and legs, good eyesight, a well functioning equilibrium system, and good reflexes. If you have impairments in one area (for example; poor sensation in your feet due to Diabetes), you can become overly reliant on your other systems to help with your balance. A common example of this is “visual dependence”.  Without even realizing it, you may become so reliant on your vision that you have more trouble in situations with low light, such as walking at night, or in a movie theater, or in places where there is a lot of visual distraction, such as a busy shopping mall. Balance exercises that challenge you to use your other sensory systems more (sensation and the equilibrium system of the inner ear) can help. They work by requiring you to perform balance tasks with your eyes closed or with visual distraction such as turning your eyes and head, preventing you from focusing too long on a fixed object. This “forces” your other systems to work harder, so they become stronger and more efficient. When you find yourself in those visually challenging situations, your body will be able to rely more on all your systems to stay stable.