5 Easy Eye Exercises To Beat Eye Strain And Refresh Yourself

Did you know that more than 50% of computer users experience eyestrain, headaches, blurry vision and other symptoms?

It doesn’t have to be that way. Read on for five quick and easy eye exercises you can do right at your desk!

How To Know If You Need This Article

If you have one or more of the following symptoms, you should take a quick 30-second break and do one of the eye exercises in this article:

You get headaches when you use your computer
You make more errors than usual in your work
Your eyes are irritated and/or dry
Your vision is sometimes blurred
You have difficulty refocusing when looking from the screen to distance objects
You have poor distance vision, especially after computer use
Your vision sometimes doubles
Your color perception starts to change
You find you need a new glasses prescription
Your neck and shoulders hurt or are tense
You have back pain
You have pain in your arms, wrists, shoulders, or joints

So if you feel like you need a break, take a deep breath and try one of these quick, easy eye exercises…

Exercise #1 - Palming

Time: 3 Minutes

Palming, the first of the eye exercises, is an excellent way for training yourself to relax your eyes. Start by rubbing your hands together until they get good and warm — up to thirty seconds if you need to

Next, close your eyes and cup your hands over them. Try not to touch your palms to your eyes. Make your fingers overlap, resting comfortably on the middle of your forehead.

Don’t press too hard - this is supposed to be a relaxing exercise! You can rest your elbows on your computer desk or table, in case your arms get tired.

Keep your eyes covered for two to three minutes for the best effect.

Exercise #2 - Focus Shifting

Time: 60 seconds

Raise your thumb in the air and hold it about six inches from your nose. Now focus on the thumb. While focusing on it, take a deep breath and exhale slowly, trying to relax. Then shift your focus to an object approximately 10 feet away from you. Breathe deeply again, then start over.

Repeat this exercise 15-20 times for optimal effect.

Exercise #3 - Vision Scanning

Time: 2 minutes

Take a deep breath and look around yourself. Let your eyes scan the objects in the room, without completely focusing on anything. Keep your eyes moving around the room in a fluid, loose sort of way.

Make sure you continue to breathe naturally. Continue doing this exercise for a minimum of two minutes.

Exercise #4 - Head Rolls

Time: 60 seconds

Close your eyes and breathe deeply. As you breathe out, let your chin drop gently and slowly to your chest. Relax your neck and shoulders.

As your inhale deeply, roll your head around to the left gently and slowly, keeping you shoulders relaxed and unmoving. Exhale again, slowly rolling your head back to the right and down to your chest once more.

Do this exercise twice, then change directions and do it two more times.

Exercise #5 - Eye Rolls

Time: 2 minutes

It’s shocking how little our eyes move when we’re staring at a computer screen! This exercise gets them moving around, which helps relax and refresh them a ton.

Start, as always, with a deep breath — then slowly roll your eyes upwards so you’re looking directly at the ceiling. Roll them to the right, then down to the floor, then left, and back up again.

Repeat 4 to 5 times, alternating between clockwise and counterclockwise movements.

Additional Tips

Blink often! You can easily fall into the habit of staring at your screen without blinking. Try to blink as regularly as possible, because it moisturizes and refreshes your eyes.
Drink lots of water. You may be on your computer for five hours straight, but that’s no excuse to not hydrate yourself! Get into the practice of drinking 8 glasses of water a day.
Take breaks. As much as possible, take a break, get up from the computer and walk around. Close your eyes for a few minutes and relax.
Take a trip to your eye doctor! Regular exams with an eye doctor or ophthalmologist are a must for everyone, especially if you use your computer much.
Look into computer glasses - especially if you have more serious problems.

Oh, and by the way…

The information offered on this website is not intended as medical advice, nor intended to diagnose medical problems. Its intent is solely informational and educational. The eye exercises offered are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please consult a health professional should the need for one be indicated.

We strongly recommend regular eye exams from your doctor. If you notice any changes in your health or have unusual symptoms, please contact your medical doctor.