4 Vision Therapy Exercises for Eye Strain

Did you know two-thirds of U.S. adults spend five or more hours every day on some type of digital device? This can be a phone, tablet, computer, TV, or anything else with a digital screen. The average American worker can also spend up to seven hours each workday looking at a computer screen. The frequent use of computers and other screens has increased eye strain symptoms across the world, which can lead to vision problems. It's estimated that roughly half of all regular computer users report some level of eye strain; that’s half of the computer-using workforce.

We want to help you combat eye strain and prevent other problems, and vision therapy exercises can provide relief. In this comprehensive guide, the experts at EyeCare Associates provide the top 4 exercises you can complete at home to reduce eye strain symptoms.

What is Eye Strain?

Eye strain, or asthenopia, is when your eyes get tired from overuse. Digital devices and computer screens are major causes of eye strain because we look at them from a very short distance. Screens can force us to sit in uncomfortable positions or focus our eyes at uncomfortable distances. Reading words on screens is also more difficult on our eyes than reading words on a printed page.

The most common symptoms of eye strain are:

• Headaches

• Blurry vision

• Dry eyes

• Neck and shoulder pain

• Burning eyes

• Tearing or watery eyes

What is Vision Therapy?

Vision therapy is a doctor-directed, personalized program that trains the eyes and brain to work together more efficiently. Supervised by your eye doctor, it uses targeted activities and tools to improve how you use your vision in everyday life. Vision therapy can be used to improve many different skills, including visual processing, focusing, eye tracking, and eye teaming.

Beyond these improvements, vision therapy can also be used to relieve your eyes from the fatigue that comes with excessive screen time. While it isn’t a replacement for glasses, contact lenses, or surgery, it can build and improve visual skills that support comfortable reading, learning, and working.

Eye Exercises to Try at Home

You shouldn't self-diagnose your vision or potential eye strain symptoms. Discuss any concerns, new therapies, or vision treatments with your eye doctor before beginning. If your eye doctor suggests vision therapy exercises, you should start with the following exercises.

Eye Comfort Exercises

Making your eyes more comfortable can make a big difference. Even if you aren’t actively experiencing eye strain, these exercises can help prevent eye strain or fatigue while using screens. Try out some of the following:

• Blinking or yawning to produce tears and moisten eyes. This can help if you experience dry or itchy eyes after looking at a screen for too long.

• Looking away from your digital screen toward a source of natural light.

• If using screens for several hours at a time, look away every 20-30 minutes for several seconds. This is known as the 20-20-20 rule: looking at something 20 feet away every 20 minutes for 20 seconds.

Eye Movement

Moving your eyes around might seem basic, but it can help relieve eye strain symptoms. Here is an example of an eye movement exercise you can try.

1. Close your eyes.

2. Move your eyes slowly upward toward the ceiling, and then down toward the floor.

3. Repeat step two three times.

4. Close your eyes again.

5. Slowly move your gaze to the left and then to the right.

6. Repeat step five, three times.

Refocus

When you spend a lot of time focusing on one object, it’s helpful to refocus your eyes elsewhere. It’s especially important that the object is at a different distance or angle than your screen. If it’s at a similar angle and distance when compared to your screen, you may still experience eye strain. Follow the steps below for a simple refocusing exercise.

1. Hold a finger a few inches away from your eye and focus your gaze on it.

2. Slowly move your finger away.

3. Move your focus far into the distance beyond your finger, and then return your gaze to your finger.

4. Move your finger slowly back to within a few inches of your eye.

5. Move your focus to something more than eight feet away.

6. Repeat this exercise three times.

Take a Break

Taking an eye break can go a long way if you need to rest your eyes. While rest doesn’t seem like exercise, it is a great solution for eye strain symptoms. Short, regular pauses give your eye muscles a change to relax and can quickly ease eye strain. Step away from the screen when you can, shift your focus to something farther away, and let your eyes rest before returning to close-up work.

A Note About Eye Exercises

These exercises are not meant to cure your vision problems; they are meant to relieve eye strain symptoms. Even though we recommend trying the eye vision exercises we described, you should always talk to your eye doctor if you have additional concerns or to make sure these exercises are right for you.

How to Know If You’re Experiencing Eye Strain

Eye strain is often easy to identify, but the fatigue you’re experiencing may also be caused by an underlying vision problem. Our team of experts will be able to determine what’s been affecting your vision or causing the eye strain symptoms. If a vision problem is to blame, we will provide the necessary treatment or prescription for vision correction.

If eye strain is the most likely cause of your symptoms, we may recommend some lifestyle changes. This includes reduced screen time, posture changes while looking at screens, or some of the vision therapy exercises we described above. Vision therapy exercises are believed to help improve numerous vision-related symptoms. There are few scientific studies to fully support the use of these exercises, but there is some evidence to support that exercises can be a huge help.