We all know the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle by regular exercise and staying active. The similar can be said of your eyes. Our eyes also need regular exercise and maintenance just like the rest of our body.
We are spending endless hours staring at text and images on computer screens, televisions and mobile phones which leads to eye strain and possible age related eye disorders.
Here are 7 eye exercises that you can do at home on a daily basis:
1. Flexing
Flexing is an eye exercise that stretches and strengthens the occular muscles in the eye.
How to perform the flexing exercise:
Face forward and look straight ahead. Look up without moving your head and then look down. Do this 10 times. Next look at the right without moving your head and then to the left again without moving your head. Do this 10 times.
2. Blinking
If you are an avid VDU user, blinking is a great form of exercise to reduce eye strain. We tend to forget to blink when we are staring at computer screens. The benefits of blinking are it allows us to keep the eyes refreshed and maintain focus for longer. All you have to do is face forward, blink every 5 seconds for the next two minute duration.
3. Focusing Near and Far
Focusing is another simple exercise for the eye muscles.
How to perform focusing:
This exercise can be done standing or sitting. Put your thumb in front of your face at about 10 inch distance and focus on it. Now focus on something else that is in your surrounding 10 feet away. Alternate between near and far focusing repeatedly over a period of 3 minutes.
4. Palming
Palming is a good yoga technique used to soothe the eyes. Again this a good eye exercise if you use computers often. This is an exercise to relieve stress on the eyes.
How to perform palming:
Sit on a chair and close your eyes. Place both hands over your eyes. The palm of your hands should cover the eyes, the fingers on the forehead and the base of the palm resting on the cheekbone. Do not put too much pressure on the eyes, ensure that your eyes can blink freely. Do this exercise over a period of 2 minutes.
5. Zooming
Zooming is another eye exercise for focusing and strengthening eye muscles.
How to perform zooming:
Sit in a comfortable position, stretch your arm whilst raising your thumb in the hitchhikers position. Focus on the thumb and now draw it in until the thumb is three inches away from the face. Keep your focus on the thumb. Then slowly move the thumb and forearm back to the starting position. Do this exercise numerous times over a 2 minute duration.
6. Figure of Eight
This is a great exercise to ensure flexibility of the eye muscles. It is simple to perform. Staring at a blank wall, imagine a large figure 8 tilted on its side 10 feet away from you. Now trace this path of the figure 8 with your eyes without moving your head. Do this one way for a minute and then the reverse way for a minute.
7. Rest
Last but not least always remember to give your eyes adequate rest by ensuring you get eight hours sleep. If you are using computers, try to rest your eyes for 10 mins away from the screen for every 50 mins work.
If you need further assistance about caring for your eyes, contact our friendly team today.
Eye strain is a common condition where after heavy use, your eyes start to feel tired or sore. It’s common to experience eye strain after spending a long time reading, on the computer, or driving. Most cases of eye strain are temporary and disappear after you’ve taken a break and rested your eyes. In cases where eye strain bothering you, there are several exercises you can do to help relieve it faster.
Exercises to Help Eye Strain
Eye strain has several components. Looking at very bright or very dim objects can lead your pupils to work harder, while looking at a stationary object can cause fatigue in the muscles that aim and focus your eyes. You also tend to blink less while focusing on a single item, so your eyes can start to dry out and become sore. Exercises for eye strain can help reduce these types of fatigue and soreness.
Blinking and Yawning
The quickest way to reduce some symptoms of eye strain is to help your eyes relubricate themselves. If your eyes are dry from spending a long time looking at one thing, then blinking and yawning can help trigger your eyes to produce tears to moisten your eyes. Blinking quickly several times can also help spread the tears across your eyes, reducing burning or sore feelings.
Rolling Eyes
Rolling your eyes, also known as “rotational viewing” in yogic eye exercises practices, helps release tension in the muscles that aim your eyes. Rolling your eyes gently in one direction and then back again can help reduce tension and soreness in the muscles around and behind your eyes. You can do this three to five times in a row every hour to help relieve eye strain.
Focus Changing
When the muscles that help focus your eyes become sore, practicing focus changes can help reduce tension and pain.
Step 1: Place a finger a few inches in front of your nose and focus on it, then slowly move your finger away from your face.
Step 2: When your arm is fully extended, look beyond your finger to something in the far distance. Focus there for several seconds, then look back at your finger.
With every passing year, the number of people suffering from vision problems is increasing exponentially due to different reasons that range from loss of flexibility of distance vision to aging vision. While the culprit is partly aging, a major reason is modern, sedentary lifestyle. Constant working on computers, binge-watching TV series, use of fluorescent lighting, air conditioning, and lack of exercising – all of these habits exert additional strain on your eyes and cause blurry vision. So break your poor vision habits and start exercising for overall health because that will not only help you stay fit but also keep a number of eye diseases away.
Whether you want to prevent your eyesight from getting worse or don’t want to wear glasses in near future, following these 6 eye exercises will dramatically improve your vision:
- Blink Your Eyes More Often
Continued exposure to the TV screen and prolonged use of computer lead to dry eyes and dry eyes cause headaches, eye strain and blurry vision. When the eyes are absorbed in the screen, the blink rate drops from 20bpm to 6-8bpm. So the next time you feel the strain, start blinking and it will lubricate the eyes while refreshing your brain to process new visual data more efficiently. - Palm for Relaxed Vision
This is a highly effective eye relaxation technique that you can use every time your eyes feel tired and worn. All you need to do is cup your hands over the socket of your eyes to create gentle pressure.
Keep your eyes closed and stare into the dark space while staying focused on the distance. Hold the pressure till you see all the residual tones fade to black. This exercise will work to reset your vision, lubricate your eyes and allow your eyes to rest and relax. Do this exercise for at least 30 seconds and relieve the stress around your eyes. - Trace an Eight
This eye exercise will increase the flexibility of your eye muscles and improve your vision. Visualize a gigantic 8 almost 10 feet away from you and turn it on its side. Now sketch it with your eyes slowly for a few minutes – first clockwise and then anticlockwise. Be perseverant with this and it will help maintain clear vision. - Roll Your Eyes
Roll your eyes to the right and then slowly shift your gaze to the left. Keep doing the same thing but in opposite directions. Then move your gaze in different directions by looking from right to left and then up and down. You can also draw geometric figures with your gaze. Repeat the process for five to ten times. - Follow the 20-20-20 rule
To keep your eyes from getting tired at work, take a 20-second break every 20 minutes and focus on something that is located at least 20 feet away from you. This exercise helps prevent digital eye strain and eye damage in the long run. - Focus on Objects Near and Far
People with glasses often get lethargic at gazing and this is a major reason they fail to maintain healthy vision. To do this exercise you need to take off your glasses and hold one of your thumbs close up and the other at your arm’s length. Start by focusing on your thumb held close up, followed by the one that’s at your arm’s length, then focus on something that is sitting across the room and finally on an object that is really far away like across the road. While you do this exercise make sure, all the four points are situated along the same line of sight so the change in focus in subtle. Spend 2 seconds on every object and try to obtain a clear image of every item.
Doing these eye exercises for several minutes every day will strengthen your eye muscles and improve your vision naturally but the best way to be really sure that your eyes stay healthy, is to visit an ophthalmologist regularly. Book an appointment with an ophthalmologist in Fresno today to find eye diseases early on and prevent long-term vision problems.
Aaron Barriga is the online marketing manager for Insight Vision Center. With a knack for understanding medical procedures, and an interest in eye and vision health, Aaron loves to share what he knows and what he learns. He blogs to inform readers about the latest eye care technology and other topics related to eye care, especially LASIK.
www.insightvisioncenter.com
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8 Useful Eye Exercises to Alleviate Eye Strain 
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that around 80% of all worldwide vision impairment is avoidable. In fact, each year, eye disease and vision loss account for a $139 billion economic cost in the United States.
Taking care of our eyes is vital. Unlike other organs, an eye transplant is not possible. So we need to take care of the pair of eyes that we have!
Join us as we explore 8 key eye exercises. We recommend that you do these exercises every day. You’ll combat eye strain and pain, and also strengthen your eye muscles.
What Causes Eye Strain?
Eye strain (or eye fatigue) is a symptom of prolonged visual activities. You may experience eye strain when you spend a long time looking at a computer screen, mobile device or printed text.
Our eyes do a lot of work for us every day. So it’s a good idea to keep them in good working order. In the winter months, it is just as important to keep our eyes and contact lenses healthy. The extreme cold can be hard on our eyes. Let’s delve into the best eye exercises you can do to reduce eye strain and have healthy eyes!
1. Eye Roll
The eye roll is great for alleviating eye strain. And as a bonus, if you do it often, it acts as a workout for your eye muscles. Just like lifting weights builds your body’s muscles, this exercise will build the strength of your eyes.
But, rolling your eyes at a corny joke is not enough! To do this eye exercise, sit up straight. Make sure to look forward with your shoulders relaxed.
Look to your right and then roll your eyes up toward the sky. Next, roll your eyes down to the left and then to the ground.
Repeat again going in the other direction. This is one rep. Aim for 10 reps, twice a day.
Take your time with this exercise. There is no need to rush the eye rolls. In fact, it should take you over a minute to complete your 10 reps.
Ideally, you should not be looking at a screen while you do this exercise. Swivel your chair around to face the wall if you do this at work.
2. The Palm Eye Exercise
The palm is a great exercise for healthy eyes. It also relaxes your eyes when they feel tired.
Start by cupping your hands over the sockets of your closed eyes. Stare into the far back of the dark space. You will notice that the various residual hues in your vision slowly turn to black.
Do this simple exercise for a minimum of 30 seconds. It serves as a reset button for your vision and freshens your eyes.
3. The Eye Press
This eye exercise also uses your hands to relax your eyes. Close your eyes and inhale deeply.
Put all your fingers on your eyelids and press lightly. Use a bit of gentle pressure on your eyes. Hold them for about 10 seconds.
Slowly let go of your eyes. Keep them open for a couple of seconds as your vision comes back into focus. You can blink a bit to help reorient your eyes. Then repeat the eye press. Try to do this 10 times for maximum eye relief.
4. Palming
Palming is one of the best eye exercises you can do to relieve tired, worn eyes. It’s like a warm eye compress on the go!
Rub both palms together until they are nice and warm. Or you can wash them in very warm water to heat them up.
Then place both palms over your closed eyelids. The warmth of your hands will gently heat your eyes. You will feel the muscles of your eyes begin to relax. Keep your palms there until all the heat has been absorbed by your eyes.
Repeat once (or twice) for best results.
5. Zooming
Another great eye exercise for healthy eyes is called zooming. This is great for those who look at a computer screen all day at work.
Sit on a chair in your best posture. Hold your arm straight out in front of you with your thumb up.
Keep your eyes on your thumb. Slowly bend your elbow to bring your thumb closer to your eyes.
6. Figure Eights
Sit in your best posture with your feet flat on the floor. Put your hands flat on your knees.
Then lift up your right hand straight out in front of you with the thumb pointing up. Keep your head still and look at your thumb.
Use your thumb to trace a figure 8 in the air while keeping your arm totally straight. Move in both a clockwise and a counter-clockwise direction for a total of 5 repetitions.
Next, repeat the exercise with your left thumb.
7. Writing Messages on the Wall
This is a good exercise to strengthen and work your eye muscles. First, stand or sit facing a blank wall that is at least 8 feet away.
There shouldn’t be any pictures or windows on the wall. Next, imagine that your eyes are lasers, just like a superpower! Then use them to write words on the wall. Trace all the words with your laser eyes.
This exercise will make your eye muscles move very fast in a variety of directions. As a result, your weakest eye muscles will get stimulation and a great workout.
Write words with your eyes for about 20 seconds and then take a small rest. Repeat for a total of 2 minutes for best results.
8. Slow Blink
One of the adverse side effects of looking at screens all day is that we don’t blink very often. Blinking is important as it helps to keep our eyes properly lubricated.
This exercise supports the health of your eyes. It’s also a wonderful way to refresh tired, itchy dry eyes.
Look straight ahead of you at a blank wall. Next, slowly close your eyes. Keep your eyes closed for half a second. Then slowly open them again.
Repeat this slow blink 20 times in a row. You will feel your eyes getting refreshed with each blink. Your eyes will also feel more lubricated right away.
The Bottom Line on Eye Exercises
We hope you find these 8 eye exercises quite helpful. Remember, your eyes are important organs. They are vital in helping you navigate your surroundings.
We believe that your eyes deserve the very best. So check out the current sales for brand name contact lenses at discount prices to help treat your eyes well!
