Guest post by Emily Hunter
It’s just a fact that exercise is a good thing.
Regular exercise can keep you healthy and fit, so you’re always at your best.
There are all kinds of exercises for every body part and every level of ability–including your eyes.
If you’ve never heard of eye exercises, it might be because you’ve had no major eye problems.
Doctors tend to assign them to people who have eyes that drift off center, or can’t focus properly.
Eye exercises can be useful for anyone, even if your vision is already good.
Some even believe your vision can be improved through the proper eye exercises.
While you might never eliminate the need for glasses through anything short of laser eye surgery,
wouldn’t it be great to have stronger, healthier eyes?
One of the great thing about eye exercises is that you can do them pretty much anywhere, no
special equipment or gym required.
Following are five of the most popular you can do every day to make your eyes
stronger than ever before.
Blinking
Yes, just blinking is an exercise — or at least it can be.
People actually blink less than they used to blink.
When looking at screens–televisions, computers, smartphones–we blink less, because we are
focused on something visually.
Try blinking every 3 or 4 seconds over the next two minutes.
Do you feel anything different?
Now cut back on the blinking and only do it every 30 seconds for two minutes and see how
different that feels.
Your eyes need that moment of darkness when you’re not taking in new visual information to
correctly process everything that’s being taken in.
Blinking more actually puts less strain on your eyes, since blinking allows your eyes to refresh
themselves.
Palming
Are your eyes feeling tired?
This simple exercise can be very helpful, especially after a few long hours of staring at a
computer monitor.
Take a few deep, relaxing depths, and lean forward, either against your desk, or with your
elbows on your knees.
Close your eyes and put your hands over them, so your palms are cupped over them, with
the heels of your hands on your cheekbones.
You should be able to blink easily, without your palms pressing into your eyes.
Now, just rest like that, and that’s it.
Just try to relax for a few minutes and rest your mind while you rest your eyes.
You may be surprised at how helpful it is if you do this every so often during your work day.
Figure Eights
Just like there are exercises to make the muscles in your limbs and back more flexible, there are eye flexibility exercises.
The figure eight is one of these.
Think of a big 8, then imagine it turned on its side, like the symbol for infinity.
Hold that image in your mind as follow the curves of the sign with your eyes, slowly.
Do that for two minutes, then do it again, but this time do it the other way.
It may sound a little strange, but it is a really good workout for the eyes.
The Hitchhiker
This is another easy exercise that strengthens your eye muscles, though you might
look a bit strange doing it at your desk.
You can do this one sitting or standing, so long as you’re in a comfortable position
before you start.
Extend your thumb and hold it about 10 inches in front of you.
Focus your vision on that thumb, then focus on something else around 10 or 20 feet
beyond your thumb.
Take deep breaths, switching from your thumb to the farther object with each one.
Over time, this will make your eyes stronger and your vision more focused.
“Like any exercises, eye exercises
will not only help you stay healthy
and they may even improve
your vision somewhat.”
Zooming
The fifth and final easy eye exercise is called zooming.
Have a comfortable seat and assume the hitchhiking position once more, with your arm stretched
in front of you, thumb extended.
Focus on your thumb while your arm is fully straight.
Slowly bring your thumb back toward your face, while keeping the thumb in focus the whole time.
When your thumb is about 3 inches from your face, stop, then slowly straighten your arm again,
keeping focus the whole time.
Just a few minutes a day of this can do wonders for your eyes.
Like the previous exercise, it will help greatly with focus.
Like any exercises, eye exercises will not only help you stay healthy and they may even improve
your vision somewhat.
But for most people who require glasses, the problem is in the shape of their eye, not in the strength
of their eye muscles.
If you truly want to toss away your glasses or contact lenses, LASIK surgery is often the best choice.
Consult your eye doctor to find what the best choice is for you.
About the author
Emily Hunter crafts content on behalf of the LASIK eye surgeons at Eyecare 20/20 as Outreach Coordinator for the Marketing Zen Group. She loves designing strategies with her team and is excited about spreading the Zen gospel. In her spare time, she cheers for Spirit of Atlanta, Carolina Crown and Phantom Regiment, creates her own sodas, and crushes tower defense games. Follow her on Twitter at @Emily2Zen
Have you tried eye exercises?
Which exercises have you done?
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Great share! I’m currently feeling like my eyes are not what they use to be for sure, these exercises look like a great way to help me keep my eyes in good shape along with exercise and healthy diet. Thanks!