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Eye Exercises

Why Are Eye Exercises Prescribed?

Eye exercises are designed to strengthen your eye muscles, help you focus, ease eye movements, and stimulate your brain’s vision center. As you practice them and move on to new ones, you’ll learn how to control your eye muscles and see the way you should. 

Your doctor may prescribe eye exercises if you have:

  • Trouble focusing your eyes to read

  • One eye that drifts outward or inward (convergence insufficiency)

  • Had surgery and need to improve muscle control

  • Crossed eyes (strabismus)

  • Lazy eye (amblyopia)

  • Double vision

  • Trouble with depth perception (poor 3D vision)

Doctors may also recommend eye exercises for conditions involving how your eyes work together. These conditions can cause problems such as:

Exercises won’t help if you:

  • Have dyslexia

  • Blink a lot

  • Squint

  • Have eye spasms

  • Have a paralyzed eye muscle

Here are some exercises you can try:

  • The 20-20-20 rule. When you’re focused on a task, pause every 20 minutes to focus on something that’s 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
  • Blink break. You blink less when you’re focused on a TV or computer screen. If you start to notice dry eyes or the beginnings of a headache, stop and try to blink at a normal rate.
  • Palms for relaxation. Gently cup your palms over your closed eyes until all the afterimages fade to black, about 30 seconds. Make sure not to put any pressure on your eyes.
  • Figure eight. Imagine a big number 8 turned on its side about 10 feet in front of you. Slowly sketch it with your eyes several times. Then go the other direction.
  • Roll your eyes. Look right and left several times without moving your head. Then look up and down several times.
  • Near and far. This is good for people who wear glasses. Take them off and hold your thumbs in the air, one near your face and one farther away. For 2 seconds each, focus on the near thumb, then the far one, something across the room, and something even farther away, like across the street.

Eye exercises can be part of vision therapy. Think of it like physical therapy for your eyes. Your optometrist may give you a vision therapy plan in order to improve your visual skill, make you more comfortable, and change how your brain interprets what you see. The program might also include special lenses, prisms, patches, electronic targets, or balance boards.

To access the full article on eye exercises, click here.

*Not all exercises are suitable for everyone and this or any other exercise program may result in injury. Any users of this program assumes the risk of injury resulting from performing the exercises. Please consult your physician prior to starting any exercise routine.

In partnership with the YMCA, Hally Health focuses on a variety of topics aimed at people of any age or fitness level who want to stay healthy and active. Try this Strength workout that’s sure to get your heart pumping. To view all our YMCA partnership fitness videos throughout the month, please visit hally.com or Facebook.com/HealthAlliance. 

Useful links:

  1. 8 Easy Eye Exercises to Improve Vision: Techniques and Tips | Kraff Eye Institute
  2. Improve Your Eyesight with these Eye Exercises
  3. 5 Eye Exercises to Improve Your Vision  (optum.com)
  4. 6 Exercises for Eye Strain: Best Bets, Getting Started, and More (webmd.com)