If your day consists of looking at a computer screen for long periods of time, chances are you’ve felt eye strain before. Eye strain can be classified as a type of fatigue felt on the eyes, usually in the form of itching, tiredness, or burning. As uncomfortable as eye strain is, it’s actually a quite common problem due to how easy it is to overexert our eyes, but If you’ve recently undergone laser eye surgery from an Orange County LASIK surgeon like Doctor Moosa, you might be wondering what you can do to reduce eye strain and upkeep your eye health. Fortunately, there are many things we can incorporate into our daily lives in order to reduce eye strain, including eye exercises. Here are five easy eye exercises you can practice today to strengthen your eyesight and provide your overworked eyes with sweet relief during your busy day. 

The Slow Blink

Eye strain can happen when our eyes get too dry, which is why it’s important to take a couple of moments throughout the day to dedicate to blinking. That’s because blinking naturally lubricates the eyes, keeping them feeling fresh and moisturized! You can do this exercise by slowly shutting your eyes, keeping them closed for a couple of seconds, slowly opening, and then repeating the steps. Continue blinking until your eyes feel properly refreshed. 

The Eye Roll 

Yes, you read that right; rolling your eyes is a very helpful way to reduce eye strain. Simply take a minute or two to roll your eyes to one side, and then switch directions and continue to roll your eyes for the same duration of time, and you’re set! You can choose to either close your eyes or face something that’s not visually stimulating, like a blank wall. 

The Press

Use the tips of your fingers to apply very gentle pressure into your eyes. Hold this position for 10-15 seconds, then release, open your eyes, and allow your vision to clarify. Repeat these steps about 10 times, or until your eyes feel less strained. 

The Glance 

If you’re looking to keep your eyes in tip-top shape after your LASIK eye surgery in Orange County, make sure you try out this eye strengthening exercise! While the other exercises help to relax tired, dry, and itchy eyes, this one focuses on training the muscles. All you have to do is find an object in the distance and take in its image. Really take a moment to soak up what you’re looking at and focus on all of its details. Once you’ve noted everything distinguishable about that object, shift your focus to a different object and repeat the same steps. Continue doing this with several other items around you until you feel ready to go back to work! 

The Palm 

Finally, palming is a wonderful way to wrap up your eye exercise routine (although it’s just as effective if used on its own too!). Do this exercise by rubbing your hands together for a couple of seconds to warm up the skin, slightly cupping your hands, then pressing them to your face vertically, with your palms covering your closed eyes. The warmth of your hands is meant to physically relax your eye muscles, while the placement of your hands cuts off all visual stimulation to give your eyesight a break. Overall, palming is a great way to soothe tired eyes, especially after a hard day’s work! 

Last tip for eye strain: talk to your LASIK surgeon 

If you’ve had LASIK, you might be particularly interested in what else you can do to reduce eye strain. After all, you went through a procedure to restore your eyesight to its best state, so it makes sense that you’d want to go the extra mile to really care for your eyes so you can fully reap the benefits from your surgery. In this case, the most helpful thing you can do is speak to a LASIK surgeon about eye strain and eye care. These surgeons are credible professionals who know eyes better than anyone and can provide wonderful science-backed tips to help you keep your eyes healthy. Schedule an appointment with an Orange County LASIK surgeon such as Doctor Moosa today if you want more information on eye strain and what you can do to ease it!