Eye relaxation exercises are very useful to people who work on computers all the day or who require lots of staring such as dressmaking or designing, or who do a lot of reading like medical students, lawyers, scientists and researchers. Eye relaxation exercises helps to relieve or prevent eyestrain.
Eye strain occurs when the eye muscles are overused. Looking at a computer screen, reading for a long period, or watching television can tighten the muscles inside your eye, causing your eyes to get red, irritated and dry. Eye relaxation exercises are natural, easy and effective way to reduce eyestrain. These exercises not only reduce eyestrain but also relieve stress.
1. Hold a pencil in front of your face at arm's length. Move your arm slowly towards your nose following the pencil with your eyes until you no longer can focus clearly on the pencil. Repeat ten times.
2. Imagine you are standing in front of a large clock. Look at the center of the clock then look at a number on the face of the clock without moving your head. Then look back at the center of the clock. Repeat ten times.
3. Close your eyes halfway down. You will notice that your upper eyelids constantly tremble with different amplitude. Concentrate your efforts on stopping this trembling. You can achieve this easily if you look at objects further away.
4. In the morning, lightly massage your bottom eyelids in a circular motion using your middle fingers. This is a very simple eye relaxation exercise.
5. Blink your eyes regularly. It is extremely beneficial to your eyes, relaxes most of the nearby muscles, lubricates, and cleanses the eyeballs.
6. Blink for a minute with your eyes closed. This also keeps them healthy and strain free.
7. Sit relaxed on a chair and keep your elbows on the table. Now keep the palms of both hands on the cheeks. Then keep both eyes closed and cover them with your hands. Just relax and do not think about anything. This is a very effective eye relaxation exercise.
8. To improve blood and oxygen flow, close your eyes and slowly roll them in a complete circle, keeping the neck and backbone straight without rotating the head. Then move them from left to right. Do this at least five times.
9. Rotate the pupils up and down, keeping the neck and backbone straight without rotating the head. Similarly, rotate the pupils on the left and right sides as if they are watching the ears of the respective sides. Do both the eye relaxation exercises at least five times.
10. Stand straight, keep both feet one foot away from each other. Now while moving the heel of the right foot upward, move the entire body towards the right in a relaxed manner. Repeat on the left side. Do this exercise before sleeping at night at least ten times.
Working on a computer all day can be difficult and puts strain and stress on the eyes leading to redness, blurriness, reduced vision, and headaches. People who work at laptops are at higher risk of strain to the eyes, shoulders, neck and arms. This is because you cannot locate the keyboards and the screen at appropriate levels. Therefore, if you are working at the desk, the best thing you can do is to connect your laptop to an external keyboard and mouse. This will be very useful if you work on laptop for more than two hours at one sitting.
Adjust screen brightness and contrast regularly. You can also increase font size for comfortable viewing. Take rest break at least every 20 minutes to allow eyes to relax. Blink regularly to keep them moist. Do not work in a dark room, this will give unnecessary strain to your eyes.
Wear antiglare glasses while working at computer or driving. Antiglare glasses are mainly used while working on the computer. These can also be used while driving for focused light such as full beam car headlights and serve well for night driving. It can reduce the strain on the eyes to a certain extent. If you wear contact lenses, wear a pair of zero powered antiglare glasses for the same purpose.
While working on computer for long hours, look at distant objects either in your office or outside. Looking at a distant object and then returning to your computer screen helps your eyes focus better. Try taking such visual breaks for about 5-10 minutes every hour.
During breaks, splash water on your face while closing your eyes. This has an overall relaxing effect and helps you feel refreshed. After you have taken your lunch, take a stroll outside your office for a few minutes. This will provide your eyes a much-needed break and get them some fresh air.
An air-conditioned office coupled with computer intensive job can make your eyes dry. Use re-wetting eye drops to give relief to your dry eyes. Re-wetting drops have a similar in composition to natural tears. You should go for eye drops that do not have any preservatives. You can use re-wetting drops as and when required, but preferably span it to a minimum of four to six times a day. If the problem persists, visit your ophthalmologist as soon as possible.
Keep two used tea bags in the refrigerator before you leave for office. Once you are home, place the tea bags on your eyes for a few minutes. This not only soothes tired eyes, but also reduces puffiness.
Drink plenty of water. It helps reduce puffiness. When you are dehydrated, especially in an air-conditioned office, your body starts storing water as a defense mechanism. This brings puffiness around the eyes. Include Vitamins A, C, and E rich foods in your diet on a daily basis. Eat green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, spinach, poultry and dairy products.
