Looking for the best eye strain exercises? If you spend a lot of time staring at screens, you may be familiar with the irritated and tired feeling that can come from too much screen time. That’s called an eye strain, or more specifically, digital eye strain. If you are regularly experiencing eye strain, you should consider buying one of the 7 Best Monitors for Eyes. The good news is there are several exercises you can do to help relieve the condition.
From simple exercises like eye roll or eye press to more advanced ones like the palming technique, there are multiple ways to give your eyes some much-needed relief.
Stick around to find 7 of the best exercises for relieving eye strain.
Why Are Eye Exercises Important?
Eye exercises are designed to give your eyes a break from the constant stress of staring at screens/objects or overworking your eyes altogether.
Think about it this way: just like any other muscle in your body, the ones around your eyes can get tired and strained from overuse. And when those muscles are strained, it can lead to a host of problems like headaches, neck pain, and even blurred vision.
Besides toning and strengthening the eye muscles, eye exercises can also improve blood circulation around the eyes. Stimulating blood flow can help reduce puffiness and under-eye bags while also brightening up your complexion.
So, if you’re looking for a way to help relieve some of that strain, eye exercises just might be the answer. In fact, even doctors sometimes prescribe them as an alternative to glasses or medicinal treatments. Doctor-prescribed eye exercises usually come under the umbrella term “vision therapy.”
7 Best Eye Strain Exercises
- Eye Rolls
This is probably the most well-known eye exercise out there, and for good reason—it’s simple, and it works. And the best part? We don’t even have to teach you how to do it because you’ve probably been doing it since you were a kid.
As a temporary exercise, eye rolls can help alleviate the symptoms of eye strain. However, doing it often can even help tone and strengthen the muscles around your eyes in the long run. It also helps reduce the soreness and tension in the muscles behind and around your eyes.
In the world of Yoga, the eye roll exercise is known as Rotational Viewing.
How To Do It:
- Start by sitting up straight with your shoulders relaxed.
- Then, look at your right side and slowly roll your eyes in a clockwise direction – slowly moving your eyeballs in a circle. That’ll be considered as a single rep.
- You can do about 10 reps at a time, twice a day.
- Blinking
This one might sound too simple to be effective, but trust us, it works like a charm.
Blinking helps re-wet your eyes and prevents them from drying out. When you stare at screens for long periods, you tend to blink less, leading to dry eyes. And when your eyes are dry, they become more susceptible to strain.
How To Do It:
Just blink several times rapidly when you’re experiencing eye strain. You can do this exercise as many times as you want throughout the day.
You can also try the 20-20-20 rule, where you take a break from staring at screens every 20 minutes and look at something that’s 20 feet away from you for 20 seconds.
- Eye Press
If you work long hours staring at screens, this exercise is for you. It helps relieve the tension that builds up in your eyes.
How To Do It:
- Close your eyes.
- Then place all your fingers on your eyelids and apply gentle pressure.
- Hold for about 5-10 seconds and release.
- Repeat 10 times.
- Vertical & Horizontal Movements
This exercise is similar to eye rolls. But this time, you’ll move your eyes up and down and from side to side instead of circular motion. Also, your eyes will be closed during the exercise.
The vertical and horizontal movements help loosen up the muscles around your eyes.
How To Do It:
- To do this exercise, sit up straight in a comfortable position and close your eyes.
- Look up towards the ceiling and down. Repeat 3 times.
- Then, look to your right, then to your left. Repeat 3 times.
- You can do this exercise once an hour or as needed.
- Palming
Palming is one of the best exercises to relieve tired eyes. Plus, it also improves blood and liquid circulation around your eyes.
How To Do It:
- Start by rubbing your hands together to generate heat.
- Then, place your palms over your closed eyes without applying pressure and let the warmth from your hands soothe your tired eyes.
- Hold for 30 seconds to a minute.
- Repeat this activity whenever your eyes feel strained or tired.
- Finger Focus
This exercise is designed to help your eyes focus on moving objects. If you’ve been staring at a stationary screen for too long, this exercise will help give your eyes a much-needed break.
How To Do It:
- Extend your arm in front of you and point your index finger toward the ceiling.
- Focus on your index finger and slowly bring it towards your nose. As you do that, keep following your finger with your eyes until it almost touches your nose.
- Then, move your finger away from your face and focus on something else in the room for about 10 seconds before repeating the exercise.
- Do this exercise 3 times.
- You can do this exercise a few times throughout the day or as needed.
- Figure 8
This is another effective eye exercise to relieve symptoms of digital eye strain, and it’s super easy too!
How To Do It:
- Sit up straight with your shoulders relaxed and your chin level.
- Trace an imaginary figure 8 in the air – making sure that your eyes follow your finger.
- Make the figure 8 as large as you can.
- Or, you can simply focus on an area at least 8 feet away from you.
- Move your eyes in the shape of the figure 8 for 30 seconds and switch direction.
Summing Up
These are just some exercises you can do to relieve eye strain. Remember, it’s important to take breaks often and give your eyes a rest. If you experience persistent symptoms, consult an eye doctor.