Eye strain due to prolonged exposure to the computer screen is a common cause of chronic headaches. As much as you want to work continuously, eye strains can distract you from your work and lower your productivity. Thankfully, there are ways to relieve eye strains that don’t require over-the-counter medicines. You can follow these five easy eye exercises to prevent damaging your eyes due to long-term computer use.
1. Do Consecutive Sets of Blinking
Prolonged exposure to the computer screen can cause dryness to your eyes. If you let your eyes dry out for too long, you might end up scratching and damaging them. To avoid this from happening, try blinking exercises while in front of your screen. Train yourself to blink every four seconds to maintain the moisture of your eyes. Remind yourself to perform the exercises every 20 or 30 minutes to make it more effective.
2. Focus on Near and Far Objects
Near and far focus can instantly give relief to the strain in your eyes. You can do this by holding your thumb away from your face and focusing on it for about 15 seconds. Then, switch your focus to another object that’s 10 to 20 feet away. After another 15 seconds, put your focus back to your thumb. You can repeatedly do this until your eye muscles start to feel at ease.
3. Adjusting your Perspective
Staring at the computer while working means that you have a static view of the screen. Once you start to have difficulty looking at other objects aside from the computer, then it’s a sign that you already have an eye strain. To adjust your perspective, do a visual scanning exercise for your eyes. You can do this by finding an object at one corner of the room and moving your eyes to the next corner. Take the time to scan every detail of the room with deliberate motions. This will not only help your eye muscles relax but will also help your eyes to regain their focus.
4. Glancing at Upward and Sideward Motions
Take a break from the computer screen by doing a glancing exercise. It’s an easy exercise that can instantly provide relief to your eye muscles. You can do this by closing your eyes and glancing upward as far as you can. After holding for a moment, proceed to glance down. Next, close your eyes again, then this time glance sideward. You can glance first to the left, close your eyes, then proceed to the right. You can perform this in intervals to help you exercise not only your eyes but also your neck.
5. Warm Your Eyes with Palming Exercises
This exercise is one of the easiest ways to give instant relief to your eye strain. First, try to relax in a comfortable position and start to rub your palms slowly. Once you feel some warmth on your palms, form them into a cup. Close your eyes, then press your palms over your eyes. The heat from your palms, as well as the added pressure, will give a relaxing sensation to your eyes. You can try this for a few minutes until you start to lose the warmth. Repeat the process by rubbing your palms again.
Conclusion
With these five easy eye exercises, you won’t fall prey to dry eyes again. If you experience chronic headaches or eye strains, consult with a medical professional to know about the possible treatments for your eyes.
If you’re looking for dry eye treatment, get in touch with us today to see how we can help.