Happy National Fitness Day! To get in the spirit of all things fitness, let’s talk eye exercises! In today’s world, eye exercises are a great way to reduce eyestrain and improve eye comfort. Beneficial for blurred vision, tiredness and headache sufferers, it’s important to keep those peepers constantly moving!
So what movements can you actually do to reduce eyestrain and improve eye comfort?
Here’s Eyeko‘s step to step guide!
1. The 20-20-20 Rule
If you’re glued to your screen 24/7, the 20-20-20 rule could be beneficial to you! Stare at a faraway object approx. 20 feet away and hold for 20 seconds. Repeat this process every 20 minutes to engage your long sight vision. This gives your eye muscles chance to relax before focusing back into singular vision. Easy to perform sitting down or standing up, this technique is ideal for screen bound individuals.
2. Focus Change
Just like a camera, our eyes react to light. Like a lens focuses in and out of photosensitive surfaces, when we look directly into light this is channelled to pass through our vitreous onto the retina. This exercise aims to change concentration by adapting your vitreous focal path to a new focus point. Just like the 20-20-20 rule, this can be performed sitting down or standing up. It works by positioning your thumb away from your face and flicking your eyesight back and forth to another object. Pause focus on both your thumb and faraway object for 15 seconds at a time, and repeat this 5 times in a row to feel the maximum effects of Focus Change.
3. Blinking
Blinking may sound like an obvious choice however, repetitive blinking on a regular basis can help keep your peepers naturally hydrated. Blink fast 10-15 times in a row, then pause for 20 seconds, and do this again another 5 times throughout the day. You may look funny in-front of your work friends but trust us, it’s worth giving it a go!
4. Figure Of Eight
Unlike other eye exercises, Figure Of Eight is mostly carried out sat down in a comfortable seated position. This focal fitness method is great for improving eye comfort by refreshing your regular eye movements. Encouraging you to draw a figure of eight shape on a selected section of the floor, this exercise re-works your eye pattern by simply changing the normal directions you look in. Despite if you’re a student or working the standard 9-5 hours, this is ideal for individuals constantly sitting at a desk.
5. Palming
Our final and most relaxing technique we’d like to finish off with is something we like to call Palming. Palming works by rubbing your hands together to create a warm sensation in the centre. If you gently place the tips of your fingers on each eyelid, this relives your eye muscles for a short period of time, by stimulating your focus to engage with a dark space. Perfect for after a pamper or a long day at work, this is great for those girls who love a little DIY fitness facial.
6. Final Advice
Even though there’s no scientific evidence to prove eye exercises work, it's still worth giving them a go. It’s possible they may not help you. However, what we want you to take away from this blog is to take care of your eyes as much as possible. Take your makeup off after late night’s out, wear glasses for concentration (if you need them), and get regularly check-ups with your eye doctor to keep those peepers healthy.
