How to relax your eyes

9 July 2015 Back

TV and computer screens, books... The eyesight is the most solicited of our 5 senses, in our culture. And the consequence? Extreme ocular and cerebral fatigue. It is, however, possible to ease the pain in our eyes by learning how to relax them. In 1920, an American ophthalmologist named William Bates noticed a constant in all of the patients that were complaining from pains or problems in their sight: Their gaze was fixed. He then proceeded to develop a rehabilitation method to fight the aging of the eyes, thus helping them regain ocular mobility. The following exercises, based on Bates' method and elaborated by Eva Lothar will help you coordinate your eyes and your brain. They develop your observation capacity, your memory, and your concentration and ward off ocular fatigue. If practiced on a daily basis, they also improve the eyesight to a significant degree and limit the need to wear glasses.

Palming

Sit with your elbows on the table and your head relaxed into your palms. Relax your shoulders and close your eyes. Put your thumbs on your temples and close your fingers to obscure your view, without resting them on your nose or your eyes. Breathe normally and from time to time, breathe a little deeper. Imagine a shore with the sea coming in and out to the rhythm of your breathing.

This exercise relaxes both your eyes and your spirit.

The ball

Stand up with your legs positioned symmetrically. Take a small colored ball and begin throwing it with one hand and catching it with the other while following its movement. Vary its trajectory: throw it higher, lower, etc. This exercise will allow you to ward off a fixed gaze. Because a good seeing eye is one that’s mobile.

The clock

Imagine a huge clock that begins at the ceiling and end on the floor. Follow the spin of its dial with he your eyes either open or shut and at your own rhythm. You can also follow the movement of your finger as your draw the needle’s path with it. This exercise improves your concentration and your perception.

The pen

Stand in front of a window and take a pen. Hold it out to a distance of 15 centimeters from your nose. The pen is in focus, but the window in the back is either blurry or gets duplicated. Stop looking at the pen and look now at the window so that the pen gets duplicated. Repeat this exercise five or six times to strengthen your oculomotor muscles.

The pendulum

Open your legs the width of your shoulders and stand before a window. Slowly, shift your weight from one leg to the other. Keep your knees supple and do not bend them. Your eyes move naturally, following the movement of your body. Look before you and observe how the window and the windows and trees move in the opposite direction.

This exercise improves the perception and the observation capacities. By introducing a moving impression to an immobile object, the cranial nerves responsible for accommodation.

– Straighten up and relax your shoulders.

– Bat your eyes regularly and lubricate your eyes. A little palming would help you.

– Look into the far distance as often as you can, such as the sky and if not then just look at the wall in front of you. Hang a poster or preferably a scenery with extensive portrayal of fields.

– Never stare at a screen for over one hour. Take a break every hour and head to your window. Benefit from that moment to stare at the sky, stretch out, yawn and drink.