Vision is perhaps one of the greatest gifts the creation has bestowed unto us. Humans, for more than a millennia, have been evolving new techniques to help their gift of vision stay healthy and sound. The importance of these self-help exercises is very underrated in today’s world, especially considering the fact that most of the things are digital now. Straining your eyes every day by staring into a screen for hours can cause some serious vision damage, which is not taken seriously by many people. Hence, “computer eye syndrome” has evolved into a major threat to the eyesight of almost everyone.
Your eyes have muscles that need some movement and exercises to be in good shape. As an eye specialist in Mumbai, I, Dr. Nikhil Nasta, have been visited by many individuals asking about what they can do to improve their eyesight. There are many simple routines you can incorporate in your daily lives that can help you avoid any such syndromes or eyesight problems. Here are the best of these exercises that you should definitely do to keep your eyesight fresh:
- Shifting – As the name itself suggests, this exercise involves shifting your eyeballs at regular intervals. This helps your eye muscles relax and breathe as focusing hard on a particular thing/object for a long time can make your eyes strain, go dry, or vision go blurry. Shifting can help your eye muscles not only move but also get blood served through the nerves to them and make them healthy.
- Blinking – Yet another easy exercise, blinking is a very important aspect for proper eye functioning. This can be exercised in many ways, but the most effective way to practice blinking for the benefit of better eyesight is taking a two minutes break from what you’re doing at least twice a day, and blinking 10-15 times fast continuously. Then close your eyes for around 20 seconds, and repeat the same process 3-4 times. This will exercise your eye muscles and nerves, as well as help you in focusing better.
- Focused Zooming – The most effective way to improving your eyes’ focusing skills, focused zooming will help improve your eye nerve functioning capabilities. Stretch your arm in front of you, hold out your thumb or a finger, and focus on it. Now move your thumb/finger closer to your eyes slowly and only focus on it, and then take it back again. Do this for a minute or two daily.
- The figure of Eight – Sit with your legs straight in front and place your left arm on your knee. Hold your right arm straight over your right knee with the thumb pointed upwards, focus on the thumb, and follow it as you make the figure of eight in the air with the thumb. Repeat with the left arm and do this exercise at least twice in one go.
- Palming – Rub your palms together fast till they get warm, and put them gently over your eyes. Let the warmth transfer to your eyes, which will help your eye muscles relax. This will also calm your eye nerves down.
Following these five simple exercises daily is a very healthy practice for your eyes. Not only will it help you make your vision better, but in the long term, it also helps you avoid any eye problems that might make you go for eye surgeries or spectacles. Make sure to schedule a timely visit to an eye specialist in Mumbai.
