5 Eye exercises to improve vision

This is something many of us have heard in our lives, especially those using prescription eyeglasses. It is a common belief that there are several eye exercises to improve vision. But the effectiveness of these exercising in removing spectacles and contact lenses per is a point of debate. Doctors and researchers have a different opinion altogether. According to researchers, the eye exercises are very helpful in relaxing eye muscles, boosting blood supply and maintaining healthy eyes. However, there is hardly any proof or any relationship of these exercises with the correction of eyesight disorders, i.e. myopia, hypermetropia or presbyopia. Simply, because these are refractive errors of the eyes that occurs because of the irregular shape of the natural eyeball.

If the eyeball is short, then objects nearby appear blur due to the inability of the eyes to focus as the light rays reach beyond the retina to create a focal point. This causes hypermetropia or presbyopia Similarly, if the shape of the eyeball is long, eyes will not be able to view distant objects clearly as the light rays will focus before reaching the retina as in case of myopia.

5 exercise for maintaining healthy and relaxed eyes 

Clearly, there are eye exercises to improve vision and maintain health. However, eye exercises are not meant to get rid of refractive disorders of life. Here is a lift of five exercises that you can do easily anywhere and at any time, even at the comfort of your home or while you are sitting idle.

1) Blinking

Relax and sit comfortably with your eyes open. Now blink your eyes around 15-20 times regularly and as fast as you can. After that keep your eyes closed for say 15-20 seconds. You can repeat this eye exercise to improve vision for a minimum of 4 to 5 times daily.

Blinking keeps house moisturized and prevent dryness. This also leads to the cleansing of eyes and prevent eye strain, especially when you are using laptops, computers or smartphones.

2) Palming

In this exercise, you need to sit straight and upright. Support your arms by keeping elbows on the desk. Now rub your palms together to make them warm. Place the middle of the palm on each eye simultaneously and fingers touching the forehead. Stay in this position for as long as the eyes feel the warmth from hands. This exercise can be repeated twice or thrice a day. Your eyes will feel the warmth of the palms and at the same time the muscles of the eyes will feel relax after an exhausting day at work, or when you are finished watching TV or completed any needle/stitching work.

3) Changing Focus

To start this exercise, bring your thumb in front of the eyes at a distance of about 10 inches away from eyes. Now focus on the thumb for approx. five seconds. Thereafter, shift focus to any object that is 15 to 20 feet away from eyes, for about 5 seconds. Repeat this exercise for a good two minutes, Follow these steps at least once a day to strengthen eye muscles
Zooming

This exercise also requires nothing but focusing your thumb. Stretch your arm, make a fist, keep your thumb facing upward. Focus on the thumb and now bring the thumb near the eyes till it is barely three inches away. Repeat the same procedure by bringing the thumb near and far from the eyes for about two to five minutes. This exercise can be done three to five times a day.

4) Figure of eight

Sit straight and upright on a chair or on the floor. With the help of your thumb or any finger draw a figure of number 8 while keeping a continuous focus on the thumb/finger and keeping the elbow straight. Repeat this exercise for two minutes in a clockwise and anti-clockwise direction

These above mentioned five exercises are very easy to perform and simple to follow on a daily basis. They are eye exercises to improve vision and promote healthy eyes. Whether you wear prescription glasses, computer glasses or contact lenses, you can do eye exercises, improve vision. Besides these five exercises, it is equally important to eat a balanced and nutritious diet.