10 Effective Eye Exercises to Improve Vision and Reduce Strain

It is a common practice to wear glasses or go for LASIK in order to improve eyesight or reduce strain to the eyes, but there is another way to do so and that is through eye exercises. Here is an article that teaches you 10 easy and effective eye exercises that will help in correcting your eyesight and also relaxing your eyes.

Why Do You Need Eye Exercises?

Although eye exercises cannot improve short-sightedness, they can help the eyes in case of the following:

• The weakening of the eye muscles and deterioration of eye focus.
• The eyes suffer from Amblyopic or Lazy eye.
• Strabismus (cross eyes or walleyes).
• Eyes have Diplopia (double vision).
• If vision is blurry and unclear due to Astigmatism.
• If your 3D vision becomes poor.
• In case you have had eye surgery earlier.
• In case you have suffered an eye injury before.

10 Eye Exercises to Improve Eyesight and Strengthen Eye Muscles

Eyes are our window to the outside world; they are one of the most powerful assets we have. Listed below are 10 effective exercises for good eye health.

1. Focusing

This exercise is recommended by many ophthalmologists. It is a great way to strengthen your eye muscles, improve eye vision and concentration.

How to Do It

• Stand or sit in front of a window.
• Hold a pencil or pen in front of you about 5 inches away.
• Now keep focusing on the pen/pencil and move it from the left to the right or vice versa. Remember not to move your hand or neck, only your eyes should move.
• Then outstretch your arms and keep focusing on the pen/pencil.
• Move it left to right or vice versa with only your eyes moving and not your neck or head.
• Then focus towards the window for a few seconds and take back the pencil/pen to the earlier position (5 inches away) and repeat the same.

Time 

• 1 minute

Sets and Repetition 

• 1 time daily

2. Rotating Eyes

This is one of the best eye muscle exercises. It may be a bit tough the first time and you may feel uneasy doing it.

How to Do It

• Sit in a comfortable position.
• Move your eyeballs first in clockwise direction ten times.
• Then repeat the same in anti-clockwise direction ten times.

Time 

• 2-3 minutes

Sets and Repetition 

• 1-3 sets once every day.

3. Drawing an 8

It is a very good and easy exercise for the eyes.

How to Do It

• Imagine the figure of eight before your eyes.
• Trace out the imaginary figure of eight with your eyes.

Time 

• 2-3 minutes

Sets and Repetition 

• 1 set every day

4. Blink

It is a highly effective exercise for good eye health. It is especially very beneficial for people who have to work for long hours on the computer.

How to Do It

• Sit comfortably and start blinking fast.
• Blink 10-15 times in one set.
• Stop for 5-10 seconds.
• Start blinking again.

Time 

• 30 seconds

Sets and Repetition 

• Do 3-4 sets of this eye exercise every day.

5. Near and Far

Looking far and near without any glasses on is by far one of the best eye exercises for better vision. It may difficult to practice the exercise at first but with time and practice, it becomes easy.

How to Do It

• First, look at an object near you (about 10-20 feet away) and concentrate for 10-20 seconds.
• Then look at an object which is far away for 10-20 seconds.

Time 

• 1-2 minutes

Sets and Repetition 

• 1 set of near and far objects every day

6. Up and Down

This up and down movement of the eyes is a very good and extremely effective eye exercise to improve weak eyesight and also strengthen eye muscles.

How to Do It

• Sit straight but in a comfortable position.
• Then start moving your eyeballs up and down 15-20 times each.
• Stop for 10-15 seconds and repeat the process.

Time 

• 10-15 minutes

Sets and Repetition 

• Repeat each set 2-3 times every day

7. Zoom In and Zoom Out

This is an excellent eye focusing exercise since you have to continuously focus hard on an object from different distances.

How to Do It

• Sit in a comfortable position.
• Stretch your arm out with your thumb in the thumbs up sign.
• Concentrate on your thumb for 5-6 seconds and while you are at it, bring your outstretched arm closer to your nose (about 3-4 inches away) all the while looking at your thumb.
• You may practice this exercise with a pencil or pen as well.

Time 

• 45 seconds- 1 minute

Sets and Repetition 

• Practice this exercise once or twice a week and repeat it 3-4 times a day

8. Left and Right

It is the same as the upward and downward movement exercise; the only difference is you have to move your eyeballs from the left side towards the right side and vice versa.

How to Do It

• Sit straight but in a comfortable position.
• Start by bringing both your eyeballs towards the right-hand side.
• Then move them towards the left-hand side.

Time 

• In one set, do it 10-20 times for each side

Sets and Repetition 

• Practice 2-3 sets of this exercise every day

9. 20-20-20 Rule

This eye exercise is excellent for people who strain their eyes by continuously watching television or working on the computer. It is a splendid eye exercise to improve weak eyesight.

How to Do It

• Look at an object which is 20 feet away from you for 20 seconds.
• Repeat it after 20 minutes.

Time 

• 20 seconds

Sets and Repetition 

• Repeat it after every 20 minutes throughout the day.

10. Palming

It is one of the most common eyes relaxation exercises. Like after every pranayama session, end your eye exercise session too with palming.

How to Do It

• Close your eyes.
• Rub your palms hard to generate heat.
• Place the warm palms above your eyes.

Time 

• 20-30 seconds

Sets and Repetition 

• Repeat it three times every day. However, you may repeat this as and when you feel strain in your eyes.

Tips to Keep Eyes Healthy

The eyes are a very important organ of our body. Mentioned below are few ways by which you can keep your eyes healthy.

• Eating healthy foods which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, Lutein, zinc, and Vitamins C and E.
• Avoid foods that may risk your chances of Type 2 diabetes and cause loss of eyesight.
• In case you smoke, quit. Smoking may cause several eye problems like cataract, optic nerve damage and macular degeneration.
• Wear good quality sunglasses while going out in the sun. This will keep your eyes protected from the ultraviolet rays of the sun.
• In case you need to work on the computer for long hours, take breaks in between by closing your eyes for a few minutes. You may also put an anti-glare sheet on your computer screen.
• Get your eyes checked by the doctor at least once a year.

FAQs

Here are some important frequently asked questions:

1. Can I Wear Glasses While Doing Exercises?

It is advisable not to wear spectacles or contact lenses while doing eye exercises. The reason is that eye-exercises work best when you are doing them without any external eye aids like power glasses or contact lenses.

2. Can Eye Exercises Help to Cure Eye Defects?

Yes, many of the eye defects can be cured through eye exercises, especially the ones due to refractive errors like near-sightedness, far-sightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia.

Along with the above-listed eye exercises, you may gently massage around your eyes with your index and middle finger in circular motions to relax tired eyes and strengthen your eye muscles. Applying cold compress also relaxes your eye muscles. However, it is advisable to consult an eye specialist if your eyes feel strained or you experience poor vision even after trying all the above.

Also Read:

How to Treat Red Eyes at Home
Ways to Protect Eyes from Computer and Mobile Screen
Natural Ways to Get Rid of Dark Circles under Eyes