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Helpful Eye Exercises

Updated on April 2, 2012

I never had any problems with my eyesight. But lately due to a lot of computer and paper work, I’ve noticed that tiny words in print have become difficult to read. They have become blurry. And often times, I know my eyes felt very tense and strained. This caused me to panic. I mean, hey, I value my eyesight and I felt I should be doing something to take care of them. Although I am not an eye doctor nor am I an expert at this, but I’ve discovered that these eye exercises have been very helpful.

Tired Eyes?

Begin by Relaxation

Take a deep breath…inhale and exhale slowly. Close your eyes gently as you continue breathing. Take a few more deep breaths. And as you inhale imagine a soft green light coming from above penetrating your head and eyes. As you exhale, imagine you are blowing the tiredness from your eyes. Repeat 7 times.

Palming

I find palming to be a very effective way of reducing tiredness or fatigue in the eyes.

  1. Sit with your back straight making sure that you feel comfortable. If you are sitting down with a table in front of you, make sure that your elbows are resting in a position that does not make you feel ill at ease.
  2. Rub both your hands together to warm them. Close your eyes. Cover both your eyes with cupped hands. The heels of your palms are resting on your cheekbones while your fingers crossed over your forehead. The palms should not be touching your eyeballs.
  3. With your eyes closed, continue to relax and breathe and this time imagine the darkness that you see inside your eyes is as soft as the blackest velvet.
  4. Do this for a minute or so. Then gently open your eyes and remove your hands slowly. You will discover that your eyes will feel rested and surprisingly the things around you appear clearer and sharper.
  5. Now if your work requires a lot of eye usage or concentration (e.g. computer work), do this every hour. So the total amount of palming is at least 10 minutes a day.

Eye Isolation Exercises to Improve Visual Concentration

In these exercises, be sure to remember that it is only the eyes that will be moving. The head and neck should be kept still. Do the eye exercises slowly and at your own pace. If you feel your eyes getting sore, just blink a few times and close your eyes before you continue. Always make sure you are in a comfortable position with your spine straight.

  1. Start by moving your eyes up and slowly look down as far as you can. Repeat several times.Blink quickly and close your eyes to relax the eye muscles.
  2. With head facing straight, move your eyes to the right and then to the left as far as you can. Repeat several times. Remember to move your eyes slowly. Blink quickly and close your eyes to relax the eye muscles.
  3. Still looking ahead, this time roll your eyes clockwise and then counterclockwise. Make sure you are able to feel that you are following an imaginary circle. Make the circle as big as you can. Repeat several times. Blink quickly and close your eyes to relax the eye muscles.
  4. Without blinking, focus your gaze on the tip of your nose. Remain in this position for as long as you can. Blink quickly and close your eyes to relax the eye muscles.

GAZING FAR AWAY

Using a pencil or one of your fingers, place it under the tip of your nose. Slowly, move forward the pen or the finger in a straight line as far as your hands can go. Then look past the pen or finger straight into the distance and see the objects or surroundings clearly. After go back to the tip of the pen or the finger and move it back to the tip of your nose. Repeat several times. Blink, close your eyes and squeeze them tight.

After all these eye exercises, you can end the session by palming.

SUNNING

A New York Ophthalmologist by the name of William H. Bates (1860 - 1931) introduced the concept that sunshine has great therapeutic value for the eyes esp. defective ones.

TWO VERY IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER:

  1. Do not sun both eyes at the same time (as in Never!!!)

  2. Do not stare at the sun or spotlight (as in no, no, no!)

This should be done outdoors or in a window facing the direct rays of the sun. A substitute can be used if no or little sun is available. One can use a 150 watt spotlight bulb. But you must sit six feet away.

Ready for sunning? Here's how.

Close your eyes making sure your eyes are in a relaxed state and that you are not frowning. Face the sun or the bulb and with eyes still closed, move your head side to side and allow the warmth of the sun to relax the tense nerves.

After a minute or two, cup one eye with your palm (make sure your palm is covering your eyes and not your fingers) continue to move the head from side to side and, blinking rapidly, open both eyes. The one that is cov­ered must be open too. With the eyes relaxed, look at the sun, moving the head, in a lateral swing from shoulder to shoulder, so the eyes follow a line passing through the sun. REMEMBER: Keep blinking.

If the light seems too strong and creates any discom­fort, begin on a line far enough below the sun so that there is no discomfort and gradually you will be able to move the line up until it passes through the sun.

Do this ten times. Then cover the exposed eye and repeat with the eye that has been covered.

Again, always do palming after sunning. Do sunning at least once a day and in the early mornings.

One Last Eye Exercise

Place two or three feet away a lighted candle which is at eye level.

Sit comfortably making sure your spine is erect ready for meditation.

Breathe deeply until you experience a feeling of calmness and peace.

Gently open your eyes and look at the flame of the candle until you feel your eyes water.

Now close your eyes and cup your hands over them (the heels of your hands resting lightly on your cheekbones).

Observe the after image of the flame of the candle. Try to retain the image for as long as possible. If you continue doing this exercise you will be able to “see” the image of the falme in your mind’s eye even without the use of the candle.

This helps strengthen the eyes as well as improves one’s concentration and resolve.

I value my eyes and thus I am doing these eye exercises. Will you do it too?

By: Michelle Simtoco

Do you have any eye problems?

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