Eye Strengthening Exercises for Daily Computer Users
When we talk about eyestrain, we are usually talking about a constellation of symptoms related to eye fatigue that can include headaches, light sensitivity, blurry vision, and red, tearing eyes. In today’s digital world, eyestrain has increasingly become a much larger problem due to the proliferation of computer screens.
From televisions to phones to desktop monitors, people today spend a great deal of time staring at screens, which can bring on eyestrain much faster. Fortunately, there are things you can do to reduce eyestrain. Here are some easy eye-strengthening exercises you can try that may give you some relief.
1. Blinking
What could be easier than blinking? We already naturally do it hundreds of times a day. But when our eyes are glued to the computer or TV screen, we blink a lot less, and our eyes can suffer as a result. For every twenty minutes of screen time, look away and blink for about 20 seconds to clear out those corneas and give your eyes some much-needed rest. As a general rule, you should be blinking every four seconds or so.
2. Eye Palming
For eyestrain relief, press three fingers lightly against each upper eyelid for a few seconds, then release. Repeat about five times to relieve accumulated muscle tension in the eye.
3. Eye Rotation
Close your eyes and imagine an analog clock. Rotate your eyes clockwise from 12 to 6 for about 15 to 20 repetitions. Then rotate your eyes from 3 to 9 clockwise about 15 to 20 times. Last, switch the exercise to counter-clockwise. This exercise can help improve blurry vision.
4. Focus Exercises
To do a focus exercise, hold out your thumb about ten inches from your face and focus your eyes completely on it for a few seconds. Then pick an object in the distance about ten or twenty feet away and focus on that object.
Switch back and forth between focusing on the far object and the near object for about two or three minutes to strengthen your eyes.
5. Zoom Exercises
This is like the focus exercise, but instead of bringing your eyes to the objects, you bring the objects to you. Hold a pencil out in front of you as far as you can and focus on the tip while you slowly bring the pencil closer to your nose. Bring it as close as possible without losing focus on the tip. Do this about ten times to strengthen eye muscles and to improve eye movement control.
In addition to regular eye exercises and protecting your eyes whenever possible, it’s important to have regular dilated eye exams to maintain good eye health. If you’re in the Portland, Oregon area, the eye care specialist to contact is Beaumont Vision, offering highly skilled optometrists; a professional, intimate atmosphere; and high fashion eyewear products.
To schedule appointment or learn more about how to care for your eyes, be sure to visit Beaumont Vision today.