There are exercises you can do at home to strengthen your eye muscles and relieve eye tension. Since the eyes connect to the brain, tense eyes may cause you to feel tense in general. Even people who are already farsighted, nearsighted or have astigmatism may see improvements by doing these exercises.
12 O'Clock to 6 O'Clock Exercise
The 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock exercise encourages the eyes to move through their range of motion up and down. To perform this exercise correctly, visualize that you are looking at an analog clock in front of you. Relax your whole body and take deep breaths through your nose.
Then, without moving your head, look up to 12 o'clock. Pause for one second and then look down to 6 o'clock. Hold for one second. Do not strain or force your eyes. Perform 10 repetitions up and down. Finish up by rubbing your hands vigorously together and placing them gently over your eyes to relax them.
Eye Massage
Giving your eyes a gentle massage releases tension just as gentle massage releases tension in the rest of your body. To massage your eyes, sit down in a comfortable position. Close your eyes but do not shut them tightly.
Place your fingertips gently on your eyelids and circle your fingers to massage the eyes. Always use the lightest touch, even if you prefer deep tissue on other areas of your body. The massage need last only one to two minutes.
Writing on the Wall
Writing on the wall is an exercise that won't cost you your security deposit. To do this exercise, sit in a chair, on a couch, or on a bed facing a wall. Do not sit close to the wall. Imagine that you are writing something on the wall with your eyes as you move them around.
You can write your name, grocery list or the alphabet, for example. The larger you "write" the letters, the more your eyes move and the more benefit you will get from the exercise. Keep your head and neck still during this exercise.
Looking Through a Mark
The looking through a mark exercise uses a window and a mark on the window to exercise your eyes by focusing on a near object and a far object. The mark provides a close object for you to focus on and something outside the window is the far object you will focus on.
To perform this exercise, put a small sticker or a small piece of tape on the window. Sit so that your face is six inches from the window. The sticker should be at eye level. Focus on the sticker for 10 seconds. Then, look at something outside and focus on it for 10 seconds. Alternate between the mark and something outside for the desired length of time.
