Introduction
Do you forget to take care of the eyes during your daily life? There are some easy eye exercises you can do at any time.
In the big hectic world, we are living in it is very important to be able to sit down and unwind for a few minutes.
Many people consider taking a break to be scrolling through social media, which of course is not even close to actually resting.
Most of us are glued to our screens on a daily basis.
As cool as computers and smartphones may be, they can also do damage to your health and in particular – your eyes.
It’s important to use your breaks in the most efficient and healthy way.
So instead of staring at the display on your device, you can do some exercises that can help and improve your vision.
Eye exercises
The simple ones
When I was 7 years old I went to the ophthalmologist for the first time.
The doctor was a very polite lady who prescribed me a pair of glasses and added that it would be beneficial to do some eye exercises every day for a few minutes just to make sure my eyes won’t get any worse.
These exercises helped improve my eyesight quite a bit.
I have listed some of them below. All you need is some paper and a chair.
1. Take a piece of paper, cut a small square from it and color it black.
Sit down, put it approximately 8 inches (ca. 20 centimeters) away and stare at it for a few seconds.
Look away and then shift your gaze back to the colored square. Repeat 5 times.
2. Draw a big horizontal eight on a piece of paper. Sit down and distance the sheet 8 inches away.
Move your eyes along this figure without moving your head. Repeat 5 times.
3. Draw some zigzag lines. They should look like a cardiogram. Sit down and put the sheet approx. 8 inches away.
Start moving your eyes along the lines from one end to the other. Repeat 5 times.
You can do these exercises without actually drawing the lines and the figures.
When I was a child it was harder for me to imagine what was supposed to be on the paper.
If you feel like you have a big imagination, there is no need to draw them.
You could draw them at home and bring them anywhere with you.
You just need somewhere to sit and concentrate (what better way to spend your lunch break?).
Norbekov’s method
Mirzakarim Norbekov is a famous writer from Uzbekistan.
In his books, he talks about alternative medicine and how we can heal our bodies using our minds and nature.
His methods are deemed questionable by few. Nevertheless, his exercises can still be useful even if you don’t agree with his work.
These are some of his well-known exercises:
1. “Look up and down”
Keep your head straight, gaze directed toward the ceiling.
Imagine you are moving your eyes pointing to the inside of your skull (freaky, right?).
Now look down. Bring your attention to the thyroid – imagine you are looking at it. Perform 8-10 times in each direction.
2. “Ticker”
Look to the left – you should have the wall insight. Bring attention to the back of your left ear.
Look to the right – you should have the wall insight. Bring attention to the back of your right ear. Perform 8-10 times in each direction.
3. The third exercise is left without a name
You should look to the left, then look straight, after that you look to the right and then look straight again.
Perform 8-10 times in each direction.
Norbekov also advises doing some easy gymnastics, which can help you improve your overall health in addition to your eyesight.
All of these exercises are taken from his book “The experience of a fool who had an epiphany about how to get rid of his glasses” – if you are interested to learn more about his teachings.
For busy people
If you are short on time I’d suggest you stick to the most popular and time-effective eye exercises:
- The first one is the 20-20-20 rule which has already been mentioned in the blog, but for those of you who haven’t heard of it, this exercise is very easy to follow: every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet (ca. 6 centimeters) away for 20 seconds.
I found the next eye exercise when I started practicing yoga in my free time. At the end of every class we do a routine called “palming”:
- Rub your hands together until they are warm enough. Close your eyes, then put your palms on your eyelids – do this very carefully, don’t rub your or press your hands too hard. Take a few deep breaths – make sure you feel calm and relaxed. Think of anything that makes you happy. Once you start seeing black, remove your hands.
Repeat a few times.
Another exercise that is based on my yoga experience is treating the eyelids:
- Sit comfortably. Massage your lower eyelids gently with your ring fingers. Start with the inner edge of the lower eyelid and gradually move outwards. Massage the eyebrows in a similar way after you have finished with the lower lids.
This can be very rough on your eyes because of the lack of moisture. Therefore, when you work or study make sure to take a few minutes to detach yourself from the screen and blink.
Conclusion
To sum up, I’d recommend to anyone who is interested in his well-being to do at least two of these exercises а day, regardless if he has glasses or not.
These exercises are going to keep your eyes healthy.
You should train your eye muscles the way you train your arms and legs – they will get stronger and you will be less likely to develop further vision problems.
However, be sure to talk to your doctor first (especially if you have more serious problems) and don’t forget to wear your glasses!
Although the above-mentioned exercises will improve your vision, I would still highly suggest you to download the Iris software (or app) so that you can protect your eyes even when you are working on your electronic devices.
As simple as it may sound, blinking is another great way of taking care of your eyes.
It is not uncommon to forget to blink while staring at your computer or smartphone.
Author: Ani Tsaneva
Read more:
Eye exercises: Myth or a real way to improve your eyesight?
Vision therapy: Eye exercises for keeping your eyes strong and healthy
Eye yoga will help you see everything you love to see
