Eye exercises: Some tips and techniques

Eye exercises and their potential benefits

Like any other muscle, the eye muscles also require exercise to be healthy and strong. 

Most of the time, we shift our gaze at least from reading, as in reading, and turn our heads if we want to look elsewhere. By rotating the eyes in every direction, without turning your head.

A condition known as digital eye strain is common among people working on computers throughout the day. This condition can cause:

·       Dry eyes

·       Eye strain

·       Blurred vision

·       Headache

Some simple eye exercises can help you improve digital eye strain symptoms.

How to do eye exercises

Here are some different types of eye exercises that you can try depending on your needs.

Change focus

This practice works by challenging your focus. This should be done from a sitting position.

·       Grab your pointer finger a few inches away from your eye.

·       Focus on your finger.

·       While moving your focus, slowly move your finger away from your face.

·       Look away for a moment, in the distance.

·       Focus on your raised finger and slowly bring it back towards your eye.

·       Look away and focus on something in the distance.

      Repeat three cycles.

Near and far focus

This is another focus exercise. As with the previous one, this should be done from a sitting position.

·       Keep your thumb about 10 inches away from your face and focus on it for 10-15 seconds.

·       Locate an object about 10 to 20 feet away, and focus on it for 15 seconds.

·       Return your attention to your thumb.

   Repeat five cycles.

Figure eight

This exercise should also be done from the sitting position.

  

·       Pick a point on the floor about 10 feet in front of you and focus on it.

·       Trace an imaginary figure eight(rotate diagonally) with your eyes.

·       Keep tracing for 30 seconds, then switch directions.

20-20-20 rules

Stretching of the eyes is a real problem for many people. Human eyes are not considered to be sticking to a single object for extended periods of time. 

If you work at a computer all day, the 20-20-20 rules can help prevent digital eye strain. 

To apply this rule, every 20 minutes, watch something at a distance of 20 feet for 20 seconds.