Eyes, eyes, baby!

Most of us spend at least a few inevitable hours daily looking at the computer screen, watching television or simply studying. And while we toil 
for hours, it is our eyes that bear the brunt. It is essential, then, that we take adequate precautions to keep our eyes healthy.


According to ophthalmologist Dr Keiki Mehta, eye exercises help the eyes in two important ways — mechanically and optically. “Mechanically they improve the mechanical stability of the eye by coordinating and strengthening the eye muscles. They strengthen the convergence power of the eye and balance its function with that of accommodation. Optically they improve the optical image coordination between the two eyes, thus permitting a proper three-dimensional accurate picture to be received and subsequently evaluated by the brain.

Eye exercises would be futile if you think they would lower your spectacle number, cure cataract, glaucoma or any organic disability in the eye or even in curing large degrees of squint for which surgery is the only recourse,” says Dr Mehta who suggests that eye exercises help the mechanical stability of the eye by:

- Increasing the range of movement of an eye by exercising a weak muscle.

- Allowing eye movement, especially in people who wear spectacles or have their eyes fixed at a particular position for long periods by relieving congestion and permitting a more comfortable vision.

- When done correctly, they reduce an imbalance between the convergence and accommodation, thus reducing eye strain and headaches.

- In an eye which has a squint, exercising a particular group of muscles can cure or radically reduce a squint.

- Even if a squint is surgically operated, the use of exercises can build up the capacity of the eye to virtually normal limits.

They improve the power of the eye to maintain convergence in depressed position (the eye turns in and bends down during the most important activity of modern life reading) and thus permit long comfortable application to near work.

Remember: 
- Make vertical and horizontal movements of the eyes to the maximum extreme every 30 minutes if you are sitting in front of a computer or studying long hours.

- Apply a cupped palm on your eyes to make them feel relaxed. This relieves tired eyes.

- Another great relaxing technique is to look far and then at a point close to you rapidly a few times.

Consultant ophthalmologist Dr Gul J Nankani, says that there are several ways to prevent eye strain while studying/ sitting on the computer. “Adjust your chair, table and computer in a way that you don’t have to look up while reading. One should always look down or straight while reading. Avoid sleeping and reading and maintain a distance of about one to one and a half feet between the eyes and your book.

Take a break every 30 to 40 minutes and when you do, take your eyes off the book and stare at a distance. Relax your eyes with warm compresses — dip a napkin in lukewarm water, squeeze the water and place it on your eyes. Or if you find your eyes feeling dry or tired, use some moisturising or lubricating eye drops. And if you notice a squint or deviation in your child, get it checked,” says Dr Nankani. Blinking your eyes as frequently as possible, getting your eyesight tested regularly and using anti-reflective coating on spectacles or on your computer monitor to avoid glare are all ways to protect your eyes.

Eye exercises 
- Rub your hands about 15 to 20 times until they feel warm. Close your eyes and cup them with your warm hands. Let your fingers overlap and rest on the centre of your forehead for about a minute.

- Hold your thumb at an arms distance in the line of your nose and focus with both eyes. Slowly move the thumb towards the nose with your gaze fixated on the thumb.

- Hold your thumb six inches from your nose and focus with both eyes. Now shift your focus on any other object, which is 10 feet away. Repeat this back and forth about 15 times. This improves eye flexibility.

- Sit in a comfortable position. Roll you eyes from side to side and then up and down. Now move your eyes slowly in a circular motion. Repeat five to 10 times.

- Sitting or standing at one end of the room, let your eyes scan around the edges of objects in the room — clocks, doors, television etc. This is to keep the eyes moving in a loose and fluid way. Do this for approximately two minutes.

- Place a bowl of luke warm water and a bowl of cold water in front of you. Take a clean napkin and put it in each bowl. Place the napkin from the warm water on closed eyes for 30 seconds and then alternate with the napkin from the cold water. Repeat this three to four times.