Medical

5 Eye Exercises For Everyone

Feeling the impact of eye fatigue? Learn these five effective eye exercises that help reduce eye strain, improve blood circulation, and strengthen eye muscles.

By URLife Team

17 Jul 2024

Nowadays, we're all glued to screens—computers, TVs, and mobile phones. This can lead to eye strain and even age-related eye issues. Ever felt extra sensitive to light or had trouble focusing after hours of working at your desk? You're not alone.

Screen time has become part of everyday life for most of us. Many don't realise just how much time they spend glued to their phone, computer, and TV screens. According to a 2022 report by Data Reportal, people worldwide average a whopping 6 hours and 40 minutes of screen time per day.

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Indians are increasingly suffering from computer vision syndrome, with common symptoms including eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision, dry eyes, and neck and shoulder pain. A 2024 study in the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology revealed a high prevalence of this condition, with 92 per cent of participants reporting at least one symptom while using digital devices. The most frequent complaint? Eye strain affects 49 per cent of those surveyed.

But here's some great news: you can easily give your eyes a break with simple exercises! Just like stretching your legs after a long drive or taking deep breaths during a stressful meeting, these eye exercises can help relax, strengthen, and refresh your eyes.

Related story: 8 Ways To Relieve Tired Eyes

Benefits of Eye Exercises

Giving your eyes the care they deserve is an effective way to keep your eyes healthy and happy. Practising these simple eye exercises can ease eye strain, boost circulation, and prevent the prevalence of vision issues such as myopia (nearsightedness) and hypermetropia (farsightedness).

Reduces eye strain: Say goodbye to tired, achy eyes after a long day of screen time. Eye exercises help relax your eye muscles and ease the strain.
Improves focus: Struggling to shift your gaze from near to far? Regular eye workouts enhance your focusing ability, making it easier to switch between different distances.
Boosts blood circulation: Just like stretching your legs, eye exercises increase blood flow to your eyes, keeping them well-nourished and vibrant.
Prevents eye dryness: Tired of dealing with dry, gritty eyes? Exercises like blinking can stimulate tear production, keeping your eyes moist and comfortable.
Enhances flexibility: Strengthen and stretch those eye muscles! Regular practice can make your eyes more flexible, improving their overall function.
Eases headaches and neck pain: Reducing eye strain can also help alleviate related headaches and neck pain, making you feel better all around.

5 Eye Exercises To Ease Tired Eyes

Ready to give it a try? Here are five easy eye exercises anyone can do, whether you're at your desk, reading a book, or watching TV. Let's get started on giving your eyes the care they deserve!

1. Flex your eyes

Flexing is a simple yet effective eye exercise that stretches and strengthens the ocular muscles in your eyes. Include this quick routine into your day to keep your eye muscles in shape and reduce strain.

Here's how to perform the flexing exercise:

Face forward and look straight ahead.
Look up without moving your head, then look down. Repeat this 10 times.
Look to the right without moving your head, then look to the left. Repeat this 10 times.

2. Try rapid blinking

Spending time on digital devices slows down our blink rate, causing our eyes to dry out and feel sandy, gritty, and tired. Taking the time to consciously blink can restore the tear film and rejuvenate your eyes. When you blink, you pump the oil glands in your eyelids, stimulating their lubricating secretions and spreading tears over your eyes.

Here’s a simple blinking exercise to try:

Close your eyes and pause for two seconds.
Open your eyes again.
For extra stimulation, squeeze your eyelids tight while they are closed.

3. Focusing Near and Far

Focusing is another great exercise to keep your eye muscles in shape. This exercise helps improve the flexibility and strength of your eye muscles, making it easier to shift focus between different distances throughout the day.

Stand or sit comfortably.
Hold your thumb in front of your face, about 10 inches away, and focus on it.
Shift your focus to something 10–20 feet away from your surroundings.
Switch between near and far focusing repeatedly for 2–3 minutes.

4. Taking Breaks: The 20-20-20 Rule

When we use our eyes for near work, our focusing system can become fatigued, and our eyes can dry out. This simple rule in your routine can help reduce eye strain and keep your eyes feeling fresh throughout the day. The 20-20-20 rule is an easy-to-remember technique to give your eyes a break:

For every 20 minutes of near work, look at a target 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Return to your nearest activity after the break.

5. Draw the infinity symbol

Tracking an object with your eyes can be challenging, but practising drawing figure eight can help. This exercise strengthens your eye muscles and increases their flexibility. Here’s how to perform it:

Focus your eyes on a point about 10 feet away.
Trace an imaginary ‘8’ with your eyes along this point.
Repeat this for 30 seconds, then change the direction.

Simple eye exercises every day can make a world of difference. Whether you're reducing eye strain, improving focus, boosting circulation, preventing dryness, enhancing flexibility, or easing headaches and neck pain, these exercises are a quick and easy way to keep your eyes healthy and happy. So why not give it a try? Your eyes work hard for you every day—it's high time to take care of them as well. Getting them checked timely can help your eyes stay healthy in the long run. Book the consultation with an ophthalmologist through UR.Life.

Need all your wellness solutions in one place? A whole new world awaits just a click away.