Eye Exercises

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Last week, when I visited my optometrist in a panic because my eyesight had been failing rapidly, she gave me some eye exercises.  Until we know why my eyes are deteriorating, we won’t know whether or not they will work, but she says they’re worth the effort.

“Even for my kids?”  I asked, thinking of all the glasses in our family and the cost of changing the lenses each year.

“Yes, for anyone whose eyesight is not perfect,” she responded, and explained how these exercises strengthen the muscles around the eye.

So I thought I’d share them with you:

1. Rotation: Imagine a huge clock right in front of you, and slowly move your eyes from 12 to 1 to 2 and all the way around 5 times.  Focus at each stop.  Then do it 5 times in the opposite direction.  Repeat 3 times a day.
2. Alternating focus: Focus your eyes on something quite close, and then on something about 6 m (20 ft) away. Continue alternating your focus from close to far for about 5 minutes, and do this 3 or 4 times a day.
3. Pencil pushups:  Hold your finger or a pencil up at arm’s length and focus on it while slowly moving it to your nose. When the image doubles, move your finger back a bit and focus on it for a few seconds.  You should do 10 repetitions 3 times a day until you can bring your finger to the tip of your nose without it appearing double.
4. Relaxation: Rest your eyes regularly if you’re reading, working at the computer, or doing other close work.  This means that every thirty minutes, you should take at least 30 seconds to focus on something distant.  (A friend’s son was ordered to take a five-minute break every 20 minutes to save his eyesight.  Same principle, I suppose.)
5. Bonus tip:  For eye health, you need to get adequate sleep at night if you do a lot of computer work.

Note that I was unable to do the full number of these exercises immediately. 

We’re trying to develop the habit of doing them at each meal.  I’m also trying to enforce the eye relaxation breaks every thirty minutes, but have not yet figured out a way to be consistent about it. 

Do you have any suggestions?

For more great tips, see Works for Me Wednesday, Thrifty Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, and Frugal Friday.

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