3 Eye Exercises to Reduce Eyestrain

If you have poor vision or suffer from eyestrain, it’s commonly accepted that there are two ways to improve your eyesight these days: LASIK or by wearing corrective lenses of some kind. However, have you ever considered whether there are any eye exercises to reduce eyestrain?

Most people who struggle through a lifetime of prescription eyeglasses, or even go under the knife for LASIK don’t realize that they may be able to improve their vision by adding a few simple eye exercises to their daily routines.

Your eyes are, after all, muscles. And when muscles aren’t exercised, they become lethargic and fatigued. Therefore, eye exercises are a much easier and more financially viable way to correct your vision naturally.

In this post, we’ll go over a few simple eye exercises to reduce eyestrain and improve eyesight.

1. Hocus, Focus!

Focusing on objects both near and far is an excellent way to train your eyes. This exercise allows you to use the necessary muscles for both kinds of vision. To begin this exercise, you’ll want to start in a comfortable but upright position.

Next, put your thumb about 10 inches away from your eyes. Focus on your thumb, down to the most intricate detail of it, for a few seconds.

Next, pick an object, any object, in your surroundings that is about 10-20 feet ahead of you. Focus on that object for a few seconds and then jump back to focusing on your up close and personal thumb. Continue this exercise by choosing another object that is 20-30 feet away. Focus on that object, then back to your thumb, and back to the object in the middle.

Continue looking at the three different objects you’ve chosen to focus on. Do this for about two or three minutes every day to help strengthen your eyes and perhaps improve your vision! Consider it just one more exercise in your normal gym regimen.

2. Round the Clock

With this next eye exercise, you’ve got to use your imagination. This exercise is particularly helpful for improving blurry vision and strengthening your peripheral vision muscles. To start this exercise, begin in a seated position and close your eyes. Imagine a clock in front of you. Visualize the numbers 12 and 6. With your eyes still closed, rotate your eyes down from 12 to 6 in a clockwise rotation. Do this 15-20 times.

Next, see the numbers 3 and 9. Still in a clockwise motion, rotate your eyes from 3-9 about 20 times. With your eyes still closed, rotate your eyes in a counter-clockwise movement several times as well.

For those of us who don’t have time to schedule in eye yoga, this exercise is perfect. You can practice it when you lie down in bed and close your eyes. Or, when you wake up in the morning, take a few extra minutes to get your eyes warmed up for the day. This exercise can do wonders to help correct blurry vision problems!

3. Blink It Out

The simple act of blinking can help you focus better on objects in your vision and reduce eyestrain. You probably spend a great deal of your time looking at computer screens. Most of us do these days, especially as more and more of us are able to work remotely. If that’s true for you, you’re probably not blinking enough. We get so focused on the screen that we actually forget to blink. Blinking both relaxes and rehydrates our eyes, and it’s incredibly important for eye health and strong vision.

Take a few minutes every few hours and focus on blinking. Blink every three to four seconds and know that you’re helping your eyes be better able to serve you later on. At your computer desk, write a little note for yourself reminding you to blink. Attach it to the side of your monitor and every time you glance over at it, take a few moments to focus on blinking. You could even make the background of your phone a reminder to blink often.  That way, every time you go to check your phone, you’re reminded to blink more. Or, add it into the rest period of your Pomodoro sessions to ensure you’re working in some blinking at least twice every hour.

The eye exercises above are examples of what is possible if you just put your mind – and eyes – to your goal of improving your vision naturally. Just like doing exercises at the gym will help improve both your mental and physical health, eye exercises, when done regularly, can really help improve your vision and overall eye health. Check out more free eye exercises here.

Simple eye exercises to improve eyesight like these help your eyes get stronger and can help reduce eyestrain – something many computer users suffer from. Just like exercising, your eyes need a healthy diet and a daily supplement can ensure they’re getting the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients they need to stay strong and sharp.