Simple Eye Exercises for Computer Users

With so many of us spending a major chunk of our time in front of computer screens and other screens — tablet, cell phones, laptops, — it’s our eyes that take the worst hit. Red eyes, dry eyes or blurry vision — these are just tip of the iceberg. According to studies, almost 50%-90% of the computer facing population suffer from at least one symptom of eye strain, otherwise commonly known as Computer Vision Syndrome or CVS.

If not treated, the common eye strain may lead to something as serious as severe headaches and neck pain. Thankfully, these can be avoided and these simple eye exercises can help you just that.

1. The 20-20-20 Rule

Computer screens are brightness devils and they need to be dealt in the strictest ways. A simple thumb rule is to glance away at an object 20 feet away, for at least 20 seconds.

These 20 seconds will not only help your eyes to relax but will also give the much-needed break to your neck muscles.

So if you haven’t got a tape to measure 20 feet, you can just focus on an object far away. The mantra is anything far from the maddening screen.

Install a Reminder

If you use Google Chrome frequently, Micro Breaks can help you in reminding your break times. All you need to do is install the extension and enable the settings. The best thing is that it comes with a built-in 20-20-20 rule. So, every 20 minutes, it’ll remind you that you need to take a break.

So, whenever the icon peeps in to say that you need to take a break, adhere to it, for your eyes are your greatest possession.

2. Blink of an Eye

So deep is our dedication towards work and games that we forget to blink as frequently as we should. While this small-scale habit may mean nothing to us, it essentially means that we are blocking the much-needed hydration of our eyes. This eventually leads to dry eyes and in a longer run may lead to itchy eyes.

So, a simple habit as blinking can save you a visit to the doctor.

Humans normally blink around 20 times per minute, so you know the drill now — blink often and blink a lot.

3. Near and Far Focus

An exercise similar to the 20-20-20 rule, in this one you’ll have to focus on objects which are near to your field of vision and then move on to some at a greater distance. For instance, you have a poster in front of your desk, focus your eyes on it and move your vision to the faraway window, as you sweep your eyes across the room.

4. Palming

Palming is another effortless exercise, that helps your eyes to relax. All you need to do is rub your hands together until they are warm and place them over your closed eyes for a couple of minutes and let the warmth radiate to your eyes. As simple as that.

And while you are at it, why not sit back and give your sore neck muscles a break too.

5. Roll your Eyes

The best thing about eye exercises is that you can do them almost anywhere. So whether you’re in a middle of an assignment or a phone call, you can just sit back and start your exercises and still chug along with your work.

A simple exercise is crossing the eyes briefly for a few seconds or rolling your eyes. These greatly help in releasing the tension that is created while staring too long at a screen.

Other exercises include moving the eyeballs from right to left or up and down, around 15-20 times.

These were some of the exercises that you can do to maintain a pair of healthy eyes. While they can help you in keeping a healthy vision, the following tips will ensure that you get the minimum side-effects from your screens.

6 . Adjust the Glare

Depending on the lighting conditions, the computer display may be either too bright or too dim for your eyes.

If you are frequently squinting, be assured that you might soon be a victim of CVS.

So, go by this mantra — if the room is bright, go for a bright screen and if the room is dimly lit, lower the brightness settings as well.

7. Adjust the Text Size and Color

Apparently, the size of the text and color also plays a great deal. The ideal size should be three times the smallest text size that you can read. So, in case the new Android Nougat small text feature seems cool, think about your eyes and then hit the save button.

A pair of human eyes adjust most comfortably in a lighter background with darker texts, so avoid low contrast text combinations as they can very well play a role in destroying your eyesight.

8. Go Speckless

Dust and fingerprints on display screens, play a huge role in CVS, as these reflect light directly into your eyes.

Hence, opt for cleaning the computer screen or the phone screens from fingerprints and dust as regularly as possible.

9. Organize Your Desk

Organizing a desk seems rather a strange solution for eye problems, but if you’re staring at your monitor up-close, that’s a sure recipe for disaster. A monitor should be a good 20 inches away with the display a bit lower — roughly 4-6 inches lower.

So, in case you sit awfully low on your chair, it;s about time that you re-organized your sitting position as well.

10. Regular Appointments

And last and not the least, the computer-staring folks should go for regular eye checkups. Along with regular tear drops for re-hydrations, one can also go for anti-glare glasses that reflect the rays from the screen. Afterall, we wouldn’t want the harmful rays to get the better of you.

So…When Are you Starting?

Our eyes are one of the most precious possession and it’s only essential that we take proper care of them. Doing these simple exercises will not only stretch the eye-muscles but also give you an opportunity to relax the other muscles also. And while you do your eye-cercises, why not get a short walk too?

Also Read: 4 Apps to help you keep calm and relaxed