If you have an office job or spend a lot of time on the computer for other reasons, eye strain is a real concern. This condition causes headaches, eye pain, blurred vision, and difficulty concentrating — all of which can interfere with your work and daily routine. To prevent this condition, you need to practice good eye care during your work day, and eye exercises are an effective way to do just that. Here are a few you can practice at the office.   

What Eye Care Exercises Can You Do at Work?

1. Blink

Blinking is necessary to keep your eyes moist and prevent irritation, but when you are engrossed in your screen, you may stop blinking normally. To counteract this effect, make a conscious effort to blink about every four seconds.

2. Stretch

Every so often, stop what you’re doing and close your eyes. Then roll your eyes around, up, to the left, down, and to the right. This helps stretch out your eye muscles, just the same as you’d stretch any other muscle before or after exercise.

3. Glance

This eye care tip is a variation on rolling, stretching the same muscles in a different way. Once again, close your eyes, then quickly and briefly look up. Let your eyes relax again, then look down. Repeat this process looking in various directions.

4. Focus

At least once an hour, move your eyes away from your computer screen and choose another object in the room to focus on. Make sure it’s something farther away than your screen and spend up to a minute looking at it to rest your eyes.

5. Scan

Another focusing exercise, scanning is a more in-depth way to help you recover from several hours of screen time. Choose one object in the room, then slowly run your eyes along its outline. Move to the next object and then another, visually working your way around the whole room while keeping your eyes in motion.

Staring at a computer all day can be hard on your eyes. If basic eye exercises don’t improve your eye pain and fatigue, contact Graham Optical for professional eye care. Dr. Graham and his team offer residents of Greenwood, AR, everything from eye exams and glasses to diagnosis and treatment of common eye disorders. For more information on their services, visit the practice online. To schedule an appointment, call (479) 996-2441.