Eye yoga: 5 easy exercises to reduce eye fatigue

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Are you struggling with fatigued or strained eyes? Eye yoga can help provide relief to tired eyes. With yoga gaining popularity in recent times more people than ever are practicing it for their overall health and well-being.

On average, most people spend several hours working on screens daily making their eyes feel tired. Almost 60 million people suffer from eye fatigue after a tiring day at work. Common eye conditions such as eye fatigue and sore eyes can affect our efficiency in intermediate tasks. You can learn more about the effects of computer vision syndrome and how it can result in eye fatigue in our blog.

Eye fatigue is caused due to the overworked eye muscles through daily life activities. Hence, the relaxation of muscles can help in preventing eye fatigue. Yoga is an ancient practice that has been around since the late 18th century. As per recent studies, some yogic eye exercises help strengthen and relax muscles in the eye structure.

Now, the biggest question arises…

Does eye yoga really work?

Although there is no scientific evidence or research to suggest eye yoga can help with eye problems such as dry eyes, glaucoma, and cataracts. Many yoga asanas help in improving the overall functioning of various organs. Eye yoga might be something worth considering for your tired eyes .

Are you someone with eye fatigue? Take our quick Dry Eyes Quiz to find out.

The below-mentioned 5 eye yoga exercises are for you:

Kindly note: always remember to remove your glasses and contact lenses before starting the exercises.

1. Palming

Covering both eyes with the palms is called palming. Palming is one of the most popular yoga asanas that can help in relaxing the mind and eyes very effectively.

Sit in a comfortable position by relaxing your neck muscles and closing your eyes.
Rub your palms together quickly until you start to feel the heat between them.
Cup your palms over your eyes, without pressing against the closed eyes.
Concentrate on the warmth being transferred to your eyes and feel the relaxation of your eye muscles.

2. Eye rolling

Eye rolling Can help to reduce tension and soreness in the eye muscles.

With your eyes staring straight ahead, rotate your eyes up towards the ceiling.
Roll your eyes to the far right.
Roll your eyes to the floor.
Roll your eyes to the far left.
Roll your eyes to the ceiling, then move your eyes straight.
Repeat this 2-4 times, changing the direction each time.

3. Blinking

As a reflex function blinking cannot improve eyesight but can help in reducing eye fatigue. Blinking restores the tear layer of the eye that moistens the surface over the cornea to provide a sharpened vision. With prolonged screen time constant blinking can be a good way to relax your eyes.

Follow the 20:20:20 rule- Look at an object at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds after every 20 mins
Close your eyes, and concentrate on breathing calmly for 30 seconds.
Repeat 3-5 times.

4. Figure of eight

As the name suggests, the exercise requires you to roll your eyes to make a figure of 8 this in turn can help with eye fatigue:

Focus on the floor or any wall by keeping your head still.
Follow the traces of an imaginary figure of 8.
Repeat the motion by following a reverse 8.

5. Cross-eyed gaze

This exercise is also known as near and far focus as it trains your eye muscles to relax.

Hold one of your arms out straight, with your thumb pointing upwards!
Follow your thumb with your eyes as you bring it closer to your nose
Hold this position for a few moments, focusing on the thumb, before outstretching your arm again
Repeat this exercise 5 times, then close your eyes and take a rest.

It is recommended to do the exercise in a seated position for better results. These eye exercises can be done anywhere as a part of your eye care routine, to help ease your eye muscles after too much screen time. These eye exercises could be helpful to soothe your tired eyes during a hectic schedule.

Blue light glasses are also available at Feel Good Contacts. You can also rehydrate strained eyes with our wide range of soothing eye drops. If you have any eye conditions or eye pain, consult your optician before trying eye yoga exercises.

Disclaimer: The advice in this article is for informational purposes only and does not replace medical care or an in-person check-up. Please check with an eyecare professional before purchasing any products or remedies. For information on our article review process, please refer to our Editorial Policy.