Do Eye Exercises Help your Eyes?

Over the last year, you may have tried out a new fitness regime to make you fit and healthy. Whether it’s running, cycling, or just simply making sure you get the steps in. There are plenty of ways you can make your body more healthy. But what about eye exercise? Do eye exercises help your eyes and is there any benefit of doing exercise to make your eyes fit and strong?

Many years ago, eye exercises were seen to help cure problems with eyesight. It was thought that carrying out exercises that work out different parts of your eyes could help to improve short-sightedness, long-sightedness, as well as other eye conditions.

But unfortunately, there is little evidence to suggest that carrying out eye exercises can cure any of these eye conditions. However, there might be some benefit for carrying out these exercises, particularly if you’re working from home during lockdown.

In our last blog post about how working from home can affect your eyesight, we briefly mentioned an exercise to help prevent eye strain whilst working at a computer. Whilst eye exercises don’t heal eye conditions; they can certainly help your eyes feel better if you’re at the computer for long periods of time. That’s why we thought we’d do a round-up of some of the eye exercises you can do whilst you’re working from home. These might also be useful when you return to the office as well. If you work these exercises into your daily routine; you’ll make sure your eyes get enough rest during the working day.

The 20-20-20 Rule

We mentioned this exercise in our last blog post and is a well-known exercise that is recommended if you’re working a lot at a screen. The 20-20-20 rule helps to make sure your eyes get a regular break from the screen throughout the day. The exercise is to make sure that every 20 minutes you look at something 20 feet away, for 20 seconds. For perspective, 20 feet is about as tall as a telegraph pole, so try and find something a similar distance away.

If you have a window by your desk, look out and try and focus on something 20 feet away. If you’d like to try and implement this rule efficiently; you might want to first try setting a timer for 20 minutes to remind you to keep up with the exercise.

Changing Focus

This is an exercise to make sure your eyes can still change focus easily. To do this exercise, hold your finger a few inches away from your eye and focus on it. Then slowly move your finger away from you whilst maintaining your focus.

You can then try and focus on something further away and refocus on your finger, just to give your eye a challenge.

Figure of Eight

This exercise involves focusing on a blank object such as a wall or the floor. You then make a figure of eight with your eyes and without moving your head. This exercise is really simple to do and helps to maintain the flexibility of your eye muscles whilst you’re working. Then, sitting still, also try looking as far to the left, hold for a few seconds, then to the right, then up as well as down. This also helps to strengthen the eye muscles.

Don’t Forget to Rest!

Like any exercise you’re doing, your eyes need a break too. That’s why making sure you get enough sleep is just as important for your eyes as it is the rest of your body.

Suffering from Constant Eye Irritation?

If you’re working at a computer screen a lot you might suffer from regular irritation from your eyes. Why not book an appointment with Focus Medical Eye Centre and get a professional eye examination.

As an award-winning local optician based in Hailsham, East Sussex; we’ll make sure you get the right treatment for your eyes. At the moment we’re only open for appointments that have been booked and essential treatment, so make sure you get in touch with us first before coming to see us

To book an appointment with us, click here, or call us on 01323 442 062.