Easy To Use Eye Exercises
You go to the gym to engage in regular physical activity to exercise your body and to promote overall health, right? Well, why not do the same for your eyes? Patients and doctors seem to both agree that eye exercises are often effective in relieving eye strain and stress. These exercises may also help to improve conditions such as esotropia (the eye turns in) or exotroia (the eye turns out).
Just as you would do when starting physical exercise, you want to discuss with your eye doctor before doing any eye exercises. There are some rare conditions that could cause your eyes to be strained even further or quite possibly result in further permanent damage to your eyes. When doing the exercises explained here you will need a pencil. Also, if you are wearing contacts, you may want to remove them. You could possibly have problems with your contacts if you wear them during the exercises, they could fold, become dislodged or even suction to the eyeball. They can also be very uncomfortable during this time. Whatever you do, do not apply pressure to your eyeballs and you may want to do the exercises in private (or at least tell those around you what you are doing - you will see why in a second.).
Beginning Your Eye Exercises:
Find a comfortable position in a chair. Rub your hands together quickly until they are warm. With your palms slightly cupped, close your eyes and cover them gently with your warmed hands. Careful not to apply pressure to your eyeballs. Do not cover your nose. Relax and practice some deep breathing as you de-stress your body as well as your eyes. You can repeat this process for a few minutes.
Next, squeeze your eyes shut for about 5 seconds, then open them wide for several seconds. Repeat this 7 or 8 times, then using the tips of your fingers, close your eyes and gently massage your eyes. Using a circular motion, remember a circular motion and remember not to press too hard. Do this for about one minute. The next step is to gently press three fingers against the upper eyelid of each eye and hold for 1-2 seconds then release. Do this process again for five times.
Now sit in a relaxed posture. Roll your eyes in a clockwise direction, then in a counter-clockwise direction. Blinking between each repetition, repeat this same motion five times. Now sit near a window, about six inches from the glass, and make a mark on the glass at eye level. Make sure that the mark is large enough and dark enough for you to see. A red or black sticker would work well in this instance. Direct your eyes toward the mark and focus on something beyond it for 10 to 15 seconds. Return your focus to the mark for 10 to 15 seconds. Repeat this several times. (This will allow your eyes to focus on something in the distance, and then to focus on a close up object.) You can do different personalized variations of this. But you get the general idea.
Now here is where you will use your pencil. Hold your pencil at arm's length in front of you. Slowly move the pencil toward your nose, keeping your eyes on the pencil until you can no longer focus on it. Repeat this about ten times. This is an easy exercise you can do at any time.
Try to remember to do these exercises on a regular basis. You can even do one or two exercises each hour or so to give your eyes a break. You should also take computer breaks. If you work on the computer on a regular basis, take some time to look away from the monitor every 20 to 30 minutes and even do a few eye exercises. This will help relieve some of the eyestrain that can occur with frequent use of a computer and monitor. (Also, getting a flat screen may reduce eye strain if you are using a regular old-style Cathode Ray Tube monitor.)
Eating healthy and taking the right nutritional supplements can also help your eyes. For example, vitamins A and C, vitamin E have shown that they may reduce your risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.
Spencer Hunt is a wellness consultant who can be reached at http://www.ifoundhealth.com. He helps people to have more energy, and look and feel younger through Glyconutrients Sugars That Heal.
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