Expert Eye Care Tips: How to Rest Your Eyes
Have you noticed that your eyes are feeling sore at night or even during your workday? You may be feeling this discomfort because of eye fatigue. Eye fatigue is a common problem, but it's one that people often ignore even though it’s easy to treat.
Nationwide Vision has gathered some of our best recommendations for relieving eye fatigue. Try these techniques next time you need to relax your eyes.
Use a Washcloth as a Warm or Cold Compress
Placing a warm compress over your eyes can feel soothing and relax your eyes. To do this, run a clean washcloth under hot water until it's fully saturated. Be sure to squeeze out any excess water.
The next step is to fold the washcloth into a rectangular shape, making sure it’s big enough to fit over both eyes. Allow a moment for the washcloth to cool off so that it is warm and not hot. Sit or lie down in a comfortable position, then close your eyes and place the warm cloth over your eyes for a few moments.
Keep Your Eyes Hydrated
Dry eyes can feel uncomfortable and often lead to eye fatigue. Dry eye is a condition that is caused by your eyes being unable to produce adequate or enough tears. It can also be caused by other things, such as smoke or wind.
Avoid dry eye by following these tips:
Try drinking at least eight glasses of water each day and getting a full eight hours of sleep each night.
There are many over-the-counter treatment options for dry eye, such as preservative-free eye drops. These are often applied as needed and can provide instant relief.
Avoid smoky environments or stay away from those smoking. Smoke can dry out your eyes.
Does the air seem particularly dry in your office or home? Try running a humidifier to add moisture to the air.
Keep your fans and vents away from blowing into your eyes. Direct airflow can cause your eyes to become dry.
Stretch Your Eye Muscles with Eye Yoga
A recent study showed that practicing eye exercises regularly may help to prevent or ease eye fatigue. This study found that participants experienced a significant reduction in eye fatigue after performing regular eye yoga exercises for a period of six weeks.
Blinking: A blinking exercise will encourage you to blink more often during the day, which will reduce your risk of dry eye.
Rolling: Some eye yoga exercises may have you look side to side or up and down, making you use your eye muscles in different ways.
Palming: Palming is when you cup and place your palms over your eyes. This gives your eyes a break in the dark and allows them to rest.
Reduce Your Screen Time
Staring at a computer screen or other digital device for too long can lead to digital eye strain. Try limiting your screen time each day to relieve your eye fatigue caused by digital devices.
Find a Pair of Blue Light Glasses
If you can't escape a long day of staring at a computer screen, wearing special glasses that help to reduce the impact of blue light may help limit eye fatigue.
It’s possible to experience eye strain because due to overexposure to blue light emitting from LED technology. Blue light lenses are coated with a special tint that minimizes the amount of blue light your eyes are exposed to.
This coating can be applied to prescription and non-prescription glasses. If you don't want to wear glasses, there are also special filters made to fit over computer screens. These filters can help block glare and blue light.
Schedule an Eye Exam
Eye fatigue may also be caused by overworking your eyes or trying to focus too hard. If you’ve noticed yourself squinting more than usual lately, schedule an eye exam with your local Nationwide Vision. This may be a sign you need to start wearing prescription lenses or update your current prescription.
Your eye doctor can also recommend other strategies to help with relaxing your eyes and evaluate your overall eye health.
To schedule an appointment at your local Nationwide Vision, find a location near you.