Multiple Choice Question: Why Do My Eyes Need Exercise?
- I need to get my eyes ready for the Eye Olympics.
- My eyeballs have been lounging around eating bon bons all day.
- My eyes need a work out so they are fit and can efficiently supply nutrients and oxygen.
I bet you guessed number three, and that is correct. The eye muscles are no different than any other muscle.They are susceptible to static muscle load, which happens when you are staring at a computer screen. Eye exercises increase your strength of focusing and convergence ability, build stamina, and enable you to change focus faster. Doing eye exercises also helps reduce eye strain which is a risk factor for headaches, double vision, blurred vision, and trouble focusing. It’s best to do one of these exercises every few hours. Relax your face, eye, and mouth muscles before doing the exercises.
Exercise 1: Round the Clock
You can look at a real or imaginary clock. First look at the 12, then the 6. Then look at the 9, then the 3. Continue around the clock looking at each number followed by the number opposite from it. The harder you look in a direction the more your eye muscles stretch.
Look at something under 30 feet near to you and focus your eyes on it. As soon as you have focused on the near object for 10-15 seconds, look at something at least 150 feet far away, and focus your eyes on that for 10-15 seconds. Repeat this near and far focusing back and forth for thirty seconds. Take a break for thirty seconds, then do at least two more sets, with a maximum of four more sets.
Exercise 3: Pencil Push Up
Hold a pencil or pen, with the tip facing up at arms length away. Look at the tip of the pencil. Bring the pencil towards your nose, continuing to look at the tip of the pencil. You will magically see two pencils appear before your eyes! When you see this happen, hold the pencil still and concentrate on looking at the tip for 10 seconds. Move the pencil back to the starting position and repeat the exercise. Continue to do this for a minute. Take a minute rest, then repeat for 2 more sets.
Roll your eyes clockwise, then counterclockwise. Take a thirty second break. Repeat four more times, blinking your eyes between sets.
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