These days, it’s the norm for people of all ages to use computers and other digital devices for hours on end—whether for work or play. All this screen time can take a toll on your eyes.
Experts say there’s an
epidemic of digital eye strain amidst the COVD-19 pandemic. This not only can make your eyes feel uncomfortable in the short term, but it could also gradually erode your eye health over the long term.
Eye exercises,
nutritional supplements and other holistic strategies can help support your peepers in the digital era.
Digital screens and eye health
Pre-pandemic, the average American adult spent
nearly 11 hours daily viewing digital screens. Today, this is estimated to have increased to
13 hours daily. Screens have become ubiquitous for work, school, meetings, socializing and entertainment.
“With the pandemic, I’ve seen more and more people needing help with blurred vision, dry eyes, double vision and eye redness,” says
Sam Berne, OD, a holistic optometrist and author of
Creating Your Personal Vision: A Mind-Body Guide for Better Eyesight. The more time you spend on digital devices, the worse these problems can become.
“When you’re on screens, you’re in the doing mode, and your muscles tighten up,” Berne says. “Your breathing gets shallow and your eyes dry out.” It’s easy to forget to
blink as often as you should.
On top of that, your eyes are dealing with
oxidative stress from the blue light of digital devices. This comes from light-emitting diodes (LEDs) used to illuminate the screens.
“Not all blue light is bad for you, but blue light between approximately 400–460 nanometers (nm) is very damaging to your eyes,” Berne says. “You’re exposed to this light every day from smartphones, tablets, computers, television and LED lights.”
These challenges to your eyes aren’t going to go away. Fortunately, there’s a lot you can do to protect your eyes, including exercising them. Studies suggest a variety of eye exercises can
help alleviate eye fatigue and
promote healthy eye function.
Berne recommends the following eye exercises, which he says work great for adults and kids. If you’re staring at a computer screen all day, try to repeat the exercises every few hours. Think of it as yoga for your eyes.
Yoga for Eyes: 3 Exercises to Try
Exercise 1: Palm hum
Palming was developed in the early 1900s by
William Bates, MD, an American ophthalmologist. It involves covering your eyes with the palms of your hands to help
relax your eyes.
Berne combines palming with humming. “When you put sound into the eye tissue, it relaxes all of the compressed tissue in and around the eyes,” he says.
Berne explains how to do the exercise:
- Rub your hands together for a few seconds to warm them up.
- Close your eyes and put your palms over your eyes so no light can get through. Your hands should be cupped to avoid putting pressure on your eyes.
- Take a normal breath in through your nose.
- When you exhale, make a humming sound (while keeping your mouth closed).
- Repeat six to eight times.
“Immediately after the palm hum exercise, you’ll likely notice that your eyesight is clearer and your eyes feel moisturized,” Berne says. He has developed a variation of this exercise, which you can
watch here.
Exercise 2: Moro reflex integration
Berne calls this exercise a stress buster. He explains that it helps
rebalance your nervous system to reduce the stress in your eyes, as well as in your brain and body. Remember, vision originates in your brain.
Berne explains how to do the exercise:
- While sitting on a sturdy chair, stretch out in a starfish-like position with your legs and arms spread apart and fully extended. Hands should be open. Tilt your head back slightly with your eyes open.
- Smoothly move into the next position by tipping your head down toward your chest and cross your arms over your chest with your right arm over your left arm. Also, cross your right ankle over your left ankle.
- Uncross everything to move back into the starfish position explained under Step 1.
- Repeat Step 2, but this time place your left arm over your right arm and your left ankle over your right ankle.
- Uncross everything to move back into the starfish position explained under Step 1.
- Repeat the movement between the two positions five times on each side as described above.
- Finish the exercise by sitting relaxed in your chair and briefly place the palms of your hands over your eyes.
Berne demonstrates this exercise in a
short video. The exercise can also be done while lying down. Place a pillow or rolled towel under your shoulder blades for support.
Exercise 3: The animal eye chart
Berne developed the animal eye chart exercise to stretch the eye muscles. “When you stretch any muscle, it increases the blood flow to the muscle and relaxes the muscle,” he explains.
Berne explains how to do the exercise:
- Download the animal eye chart and print it. You’ll also need an eye patch to cover one eye while you’re exercising the other eye. You can buy or make a simple eye patch.
- Cover one eye with the eye patch. (If you wear glasses, take them off for the exercise.) While seated or standing, place the tip of your nose on the heart in the center of the chart.
- With your uncovered eye, follow the squiggly line up to the butterfly at the “12 o’clock” position on the eye chart. Then follow the line back to the heart in the center of the chart.
- In a clockwise fashion, follow the next squiggly line visually up to the owl in the “1 o’clock” position. Then follow the line back to the heart in the center of the chart. Continue this process until you’ve worked your way around the entire chart. If you need to, you can tilt the chart away from you to see the lines or animals. Remember to blink and breathe normally as you do the exercise.
- After finishing one complete clockwise cycle, close both your eyes briefly. The eye you just exercised should feel looser and more relaxed.
- Cover the opposite eye and work your way around the animal chart again, as described above.
Berne says this exercise supports visual flexibility and improves your ability to focus your eyes. He discusses the exercise further in a
short video.
Other holistic eye support tips
Eye exercises are a great foundation for holistic eye support. Here are a few other things you can consider:
Blue light filters — When working on digital devices, wear glasses that filter out the most harmful blue light, particularly around the 400–460 nm range. Berne recommends
filters rather than blue-blocking
tints for glasses. Tints look yellow or orange and can be too dark for viewing digital screens. Blue blocking filters are widely available in both prescription and non-prescription glasses.
Carotenoids — Lutein, zeaxanthin and astaxanthin are carotenoids and function as antioxidants to help protect your eyes from oxidative stress, such as from ultraviolet radiation and blue light, Berne says.
Green leafy vegetables, such as spinach and kale, are great sources of carotenoids.
Research shows
carotenoid supplements also help support vision, including in people with high usage of digital devices.
Blue-light supportive supplements typically contain carotenoids. Kid-friendly options are available, too.
Omega-3 fats — One
study found that contact lens wearers who supplemented with omega-3 fats (EPA/DHA) twice daily for six months had a significant improvement in dry eye symptoms and contact lens comfort compared to those given a placebo. Berne generally recommends people take 1,000–2,000 mg of omega-3 fats daily to support eye health. Both
fish oil-based and
algae-based (vegan) omega-3 supplements are available.
Natural eye drops — Many
homeopathic eye drops are available, as well as MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) eye drops. Berne suggests using these natural eye drops four to eight times a day to help hydrate your eyes and
reduce inflammation. He says you can apply them as an “eye bath” by lying down, closing your eyes and running the drops along your eyelashes. Then, immediately open your eyes to get the drops into your eyes. Or, you can put a drop in the corner of each eye, and then with your eyes closed, lightly massage your eyelids and eyelashes with your fingertips to promote lymphatic fluid movement and help reduce inflammation.
Taking care of your eyes should be a daily endeavor. Put these simple ideas into practice to give your eyes some much-needed TLC.
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