We often forget that we also have muscles in the eyes that play an important role in vision, and just like the rest of the muscles in the body, these can also become fatigued, which is where the exercise comes in.
Most often, the eye strain is a consequence of too much use of screens. Most of us don’t realize the stress that we put our eyes through when we gaze for endless hours on our phones and computers. It then leads to digital eye strain, also known as computer vision syndrome.
In this condition, our eyes become tired, there may be headache alongside neck and shoulder ache, eyes start to water, there might be some blurring of vision and reddening of the eyes.
Eye exercises, on the other hand, can help with the symptoms of digital eye strain. However, please note that any claims to eye exercises solving your vision issue are not substantiated; these exercises don’t fix corrective problems. If you are facing any such issue, it is better that you have it addressed by an Eye specialist at a hospital such as Ali Medical Centre.
Furthermore, eye exercises might be helpful against some conditions like dyslexia, convergence insufficiency, vergence problems, motion sickness etc., but it is still better to confer with your doctor over it.
Some exercises
If you are in the habit of using too much screens, it is good that you also start eye exercises. Some exercises to try include:
20-20-20
This very well-known eye exercise is composite of a very simple 20-20-20 rule. To do this, after every 20 minutes of looking at the screen, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds. That’s it, that’s the entire exercise!
Don’t you wish the rest of the exercises are just as simple!
Figure eight
In this exercise, look at a point almost 10 feet away. Then, using your eye movement, trace the figure eight. Gently move your eyes so that they get the requisite workout. Then, retrace the figure but in the opposite direction.
This exercise helps your eyeball in every direction, so is a holistic form of eye exercise.
Focus change
In this exercise, as the name also suggests, the principal element is focus. Basically, it works on making your eyes zoom in and out, which allows you to work on your focus.
To do this exercise, hold your index finger in front of you, then, slowly, move it towards your face so your eyes zoom in, and then slowly move it outward, so they move out.
Now, look at a distance for a moment, before again concentrating on your finger and then gently moving it towards your face again. Three to four repetitions of the cycle should suffice.
Near and far focus
In this simple exercise, locate and object at a distance of around 10 to 20 feet. Then, place your thumb around 10 inches from your face. First, look at your thumb and focus entirely on it for a few. Then, switch your focus at the distant object.
Continue with a few rounds of switching your focus to challenge this feature of your vision.
Getting help
While it is good to do these exercises to prevent strain, you also need to take steps to not bring your eyes to the point of fatigue. If possible, try to minimize your use of screens.
If you can get bigger screens, that is great, otherwise, at least increase the font size that you are working with. Moreover, the greater the contrast is, the lesser your eyes have to strain to look.
Try not to sit in a place where your screen catches glare, as that leads to greater eye strain. Moreover, it is important that you get regular eye exams from the Best Eye specialist in Lahore so that you can get timely diagnosis and relief that can potentially protect your vision.
