Symptoms of eye strain can be relieved by regularly performing key exercises to rest and strengthen the eyes.
As we age, our eyes lose their natural ability to focus, experience difficulties in seeing nearby objects clearly, and suffer from sensations and discomfort that cause visual fatigue. Practicing some simple eye exercises helps to rest the eyes and improve vision, according to some experts.
Presbyopia or tired eyes is an eye disorder caused by the loss of elasticity of the crystalline lens, the natural lens of the eye that allows focusing on objects at different distances, in what is known as accommodation.
This decrease in the accommodative capacity of the lens, which progressively loses its elasticity over the years and becomes more rigid and, therefore less flexible, causes difficulties in seeing clearly up close.
A person with presbyopia has difficulty focusing on nearby objects and needs to move them away to see them better; they perceive that the text dances and the letters are blurry, they suffer from headaches when focusing their vision up close for a long period of time and they feel that their eyes become red, dry, sting, watery and gritty when using close vision a lot, according to Barraquer.
When one begins to notice this set of symptoms, which leads to visual fatigue, it is essential to visit an eye health professional, such as an optician or ophthalmologist, who will determine whether one suffers from presbyopia through a diagnostic exam and will seek a personalized solution to this problem.
Tips to rest your eyes
- Massage your eyelids: With your hands well washed and after warming them by rubbing them together, close your eyes and make light, circular movements with your ring or middle fingers.
- Gentle pressure: Some people find additional relief by gently pressing the inner corner of the eye near the nose for a few seconds and repeating the process with the outer corner of the eye.
- Eye rolling: With your eyelids closed, move your eyes by turning them clockwise ten times. Then, repeat the movement, but in the opposite direction.
- Blinking at different rates: For two minutes, blink slowly, opening and closing your eyes every ten seconds. Then, blink quickly every two seconds.
- Zigzag Gaze: For this exercise, place a pen in front of you, and move it in a horizontal zigzag line from right to left, while following its movements with your eyes.
- Drawing an 8 with your eyes: Imagining that there is an eight drawn on a wall less than two meters away and with your head still, you have to move your eyes slowly drawing that number with your gaze, first in one direction and then in the opposite direction, repeating the exercise several times, for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Squinting: To exercise the oblique muscles, you have to stand cross-eyed, look at the tip of your nose, then move your eyes towards the space between your eyebrows, and repeat this exercise at least 10 times, in order to relax the eye area.
- Focusing at different distances: To focus up close and far away, you must first look at a nearby object for a few seconds, and then slowly change the focus to a more distant point, preferably doing this exercise outdoors and repeating it until completing ten cycles.
- Making circles with the eyes: Imagining a clock placed on a nearby wall, move the eyes to 12 and 6 o’clock, and then from 9 to 3 o’clock, after which make complete circular movements, first clockwise and then counterclockwise, exercising in this way for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Rest your hands on your eyes: When you notice your eyes are tired, dry, or irritated, rub your clean hands together to warm them up and then place your palms on your closed eyes, without putting pressure on them, breathing deeply in this position three times and repeating the exercise several times a day.
- Relax your eyes: With your eyes closed, place your hands in front of you in a cup shape, but without touching them. Then open your eyes and look into the darkness for thirty seconds.
