Yoga for Eyes: 9 Yoga Exercises to Improve Your Vision

As per a survey, people on average spend 1,700 hours staring at screens per year, and this data is pre-pandemic. With work-from-home becoming the new normal, there is no doubt that the number of hours spent in front of a screen has risen significantly. Apart from laptops, you may spend a considerable amount of time in front of smaller screens such as mobile phones and tablets. 

While this is harmful to overall health, it can cause significant damage to the eyes. Dry eye syndrome and myopia are some examples of the resulting ailments. The primary cause of these conditions is the reduction in eye movement and blink rate. Considering how essential eye health is, dedicating just 10-15 minutes in a day to yoga for eyes can help reduce eye strain.

Most of these exercises are easy to do as well! Yoga eye exercises help you maintain healthy vision, relieve stress and increase concentration. Read on to learn how to perform yoga for eyes to remove glasses and other tips that can help. 

Types of Yoga for Eyes:

When you are considering doing yoga for eyes it is important to select the ones that you can practice even at the office or while you are traveling. This way, it will be easy for you to be consistent with your practice of yoga eye exercises even with a stressful schedule. Consistency is important because it gives long-lasting effects. Here are some eye yoga exercises you can perform anywhere and at any time of the day. 

1. Palming

• Sit with your eyes closed
• Now vigorously rub your hands together until they are warm. Then gently press them on your closed eyes.  
• Feel the warmth getting transferred from the palms onto your eyes
• Your eyes will immediately feel fresh and less fatigued

Quick Tip: Repeat this twice

2. Blinking

• Step away from the screen and sit comfortably with your eyes open
• Now, blink your eyes ten times quickly
• Then close your eyes and focus on your breathing

Quick Tip: Repeat this at least five times

3. Focus shifting

• Sit straight, stick your left hand out, and raise your thumb pointing upwards—like giving a thumbs up
• Focus your eyes on the thumb, then move the hand to your right, with your eyes following the thumb as much as possible.
• Now move your hand in the opposite direction and follow the thumb with your eyes as much as you can
• Remember to do this without moving your face or back

Quick Tip: Repeat this thrice

4. Eye rolling

• Sit straight, and slowly move your eyes upwards, focusing on the ceiling
• Now slowly roll your eyes to the right, then down, and then left
• Now start again by looking at the ceiling and continue the same way

Quick Tip: Move your eyes counter-clockwise after repeating thrice

5. Pencil push-ups

• To begin this yoga eye exercise, sit with your back straight  
• Get a pencil and hold it in front of your eyes at arm’s length 
• Wear your glasses if you have near vision or do the asana without it 
• Keep your focus on the tip of the pencil and then slowly bring the pencil closer to your nose 
• Keep staring as you bring the pencil closer and then slowly push the pencil back to arm’s length  
• Bring it close and push it back once again and see how your vision alters each time  

Quick Tip: Practice this yoga eye exercise 8-10 times to strengthen your vision

6. Figure eight

• To start this asana of yoga for eyes, select a point on the floor some distance away from you 
• Visually trace an imaginary number eight on the floor at that distance where you have earlier fixed your sight 
• Continue tracing the number eight in your mind, using your eyes for a few seconds 
• Switch directions and continue in each direction a few times, if it is comfortable 

 7. Barrel card

• To practice this yoga eye exercise, use a small barrel card (this is a specific kind of card meant for eye exercises and has differently coloured circles of increasing sizes on each side, which are usually green and red) 
• Hold the barrel card in front of your nose 
• After you have focused a while on the card, close your eyes 
• Now, you will notice red circles in one eye and green in the other 
• Open your eyes and notice the circles on the barrel card; this time focus on the circles farthest to your eyes 
• When you continue setting your sight on the cards, eventually you will notice the two images overlap, producing a single red-green circle 
• To continue your practice, shift your attention from the big circles to the smaller ones and then back to the big ones
•  After completing one cycle of doing this, relax your eyes and then begin another cycle 

Quick Tip: Continue this rhythm 10 to 15 times to improve your focus 

 8. 20-20 rule

• Start by sitting in a comfortable position 
• Stare at an object, wall, or anything that is at a distance of 20 feet 
• Continue staring for 20 seconds and then shift your eyes elsewhere  

Quick Tip: Practice this exercise of yoga for eyes at intervals of 20 minutes 

Benefits of Yoga for Eyes:

While yoga eye exercises have holistic benefits, there is no research to support the claim that you can do yoga for eyes to remove glasses. However, here is a list of potential benefits of doing yoga for eyes. 

1. Yoga for Glaucoma

Glaucoma weakens and damages your optic nerve, causing blindness if left untreated. As per experts, yoga eye exercises can reduce interocular pressure, thus healing glaucoma. This benefit has been proposed with scientific evidence; however, no clinical trials have been conducted to verify it. 

2. Yoga After Cataract Surgery

Yoga help rebuilt ocular strength after cataract surgery. However, do not try this immediately after the surgery. Instead, consult your ophthalmologist to know the best time to start yoga for eyes practise.

3. Yoga to Improve Eyesight

While it is believed that yoga can reduce eyesight problems such as near-sightedness, scientific study is inconclusive. However, yoga for eyes may be done as a complementary treatment for improving eyesight.

4. Yoga for Dark Circles

Yoga relieves stress and is believed to increase blood flow, resulting in the lightening of dark circles. However, there is no scientific proof directly linking yoga eye exercises to remove dark circles.  

5. Yoga to Alleviate Eye Strain

The primary cause of eye strain is stress. Practising yoga eye exercises not only eases stress, but also helps strengthen ocular muscles. These two factors can help in relieving eye strain. A study, for instance, found out that practising yoga for eight weeks reduced eye strain in 60 nursing students. 

Improve Eyesight Naturally with Ayurvedic Practice

Tips for Maintaining Eye Health

Apart from yoga for eyes, follow the tips given below to maintain eye health

• Drink enough water to stay hydrated
• Go for a regular check-up for early detection of eye conditions
• Wear sunglasses to protect against UV rays
• Take breaks often while working on the computer
• Include vegetables like kale, spinach and carrots in your diet
• Stop smoking

As you see, most yoga eye exercises involve moving the eye muscles in all directions and focusing on objects. These exercises calm your mind and body, alleviating stress. This helps in treating hypertension, which is an underlying cause of headache, glaucoma and eye strain. 

Conclusion

Doing regular yoga for eyes helps promote overall eye health. What’s more, if you are practicing yoga for eyes to remove glasses and lower your prescription number, consistency is key to results! Along with yoga, it is also vital to increase the intake of fruits and vegetables such as carrots, pumpkin and spinach to promote eye health. These will supplement your exercises and heighten their effect.

In addition, yoga for eyes increases focus and concentration, increasing your brain’s responsiveness. So, yoga does help you become more attentive. However, in cases of diminishing eyesight, you must consult your doctor for proper treatment. Use Bajaj Finserv Health to find the right ophthalmologist near you in seconds. This handy tool allows you to find specialists by using smart filters and book in-person and e-consults instantly online. What’s more, it helps you get discounts and deals from partner healthcare providers through a range of health plans.