We know it is impossible to cut down on the hours you spend staring at a digital screen at work. We also know you’re not about to lessen your TV-watching time either. All we say is that you take short breaks to exercise your eyes for just a few minutes, to clear up all the accumulating stress that is showing up as bleary vision, watering, dryness, itchiness and pain.
The following exercises are super-easy, and you can even do them with the TV on, so you don’t miss even a single minute of your favorite shows!
# 1: Do Circular Eye Rolls
• Look straight ahead and hold your head firm. Turn the eyes to the left and then let the eyes draw the largest circle it can, moving very slowly. Make sure not to hurry, so your eye muscles get plenty of exercise from the rolling movement. Do it 5 time clockwise and 5 times anticlockwise. Repeat the full cycle 3 times.
# 2: Gaze Between The Eyebrows
• Hold head upright and look straight ahead. From this starting point, raise your gaze slightly to focus on the area between the eyebrows. Does not matter if you cannot get a clear view of the third-eye space. The idea is to stretch the eye muscles in that general direction. Do this 5 times and repeat the whole cycle 3 times.
# 3: Gaze At The Tip Of The Nose
• From a starting position of looking straight ahead, move both your eyes to look at the tip of the nose. Hold this focus for a few seconds and release. Do this 5 times for 3 cycles.
# 4: Squeeze The Eyes
• Close your eyes and squeeze, working all the muscles around the eye area. Hold for a few seconds and then relax and squeeze again. Probably the easiest exercise to do while you’re working on the computer or watching TV, so remember this one.
# 5: Move You Eyes Up And Down
• Turn your gaze upwards and focus – don’t just look aimlessly – at a particular spot. Now look downwards and focus on some spot that you see there. You may feel a twinge of muscles stretching as you do it. The up-and-down movement has to be done 5 times to complete a cycle. Do the 5-times cycle 3 times.
# 6: Move Your Eyes Side To Side
• This exercise calls for you look straight ahead first with your head positioned firmly on your shoulders. Without moving your head, turn your gaze to the left and focus on a particular point. (Again, don’t just stare. Focus with intent.) Now turn your eyes to the right and repeat the same thing. Make sure your head does not move at any time. Do it 5 times to complete a cycle, and then repeat the whole cycle 3 times.
# 7: Move Your Eyes Diagonally
• Hold your head firm with your eyes looking straight ahead. From this starting position, shift your gaze to the bottom right and focus as well as you can. Make sure not to let your head tilt to make the glancing easier. Now turn your gaze up and left – as far as it will go – drawing an imaginary diagonal line of gazing. Repeat from the opposite direction (from bottom left to top right.) Do each side 5 times to complete a cycle, and then repeat the cycle 3 times.
# 8: Stare Into Darkness
• Rub your palms together to get some warm, soothing energy going. Then place them over your closed eyelids. Stare into the darkness you see within, feel the warmth emanating from your palms and relax into this quiet feeling. For 2 minutes.