Help your eyes relax

In today’s world, vision is perhaps the most sought after of the five senses. Result? Great fatigue of the eyes, but also of the brain. However, our eyes can be given relief by learning to relax them. In 1920, the physician William Bates noticed a common feature in all of his patients who complained of eye pain or vision problems: their gaze was fixed. To help them restore eye movement, he developed a training method aimed at combating eye aging. The English writer Aldous Huxley brought glory to this method: it was thanks to the Bates method that the author of the book Brave New World regained his sight after an eye infection, from which he was almost blind.

The Bates Method, commonly known today as yoga for the eyes, has inspired many doctors who have adapted and sometimes supplemented it. But all of them did not lose sight of the dual purpose of William Bates: to overcome eye fatigue and restore their natural mobility so that they can work without interference. If they turn red, watery, if you feel a burning sensation or tingling, then it’s time to pause for rest.

The exercises described below will help to coordinate the work of the eyes with the work of the brain. They develop observation, memory, concentration and effectively fight eye fatigue. If you do these exercises daily, you can significantly improve your vision and even limit the wearing of glasses.

You sit with your elbows on the table, your head resting freely on your hands, as if otherwise it would fall. Relax your shoulders and close your eyes. The thumbs lie on the temples, the rest are intertwined so as not to let in light – while they should not rest on either the eyes or the nose. Breathe normally, taking a deeper breath from time to time. Imagine a beach and a sea whose waves rise and fall with the rhythm of your breath. Mentally consider the landscape: watch the scarlet ball that drifts through the waves, or pick up the shell that lies under your feet. Let your gaze move into the distance: a sailboat sways on the horizon… Then look back at the floating ball.

This exercise relaxes both the eyes and the mind at the same time. Awareness of the heaviness and relaxation of the body, the warmth of the hands are transmitted to the eyes and brain. In this state of forgetfulness, the soothing darkness sinks deeper into your being. If you practice for a few minutes four or five times a day, the darkness can become complete, which is a sign that the retina and brain are resting and blood circulation is optimal.

blinking

Look into your palm as if into a mirror. Look at your thumb by blinking once, then close your eyes. Slowly open them and look at the index finger, blinking twice, and so on down to the little finger. Lowering the eyelid relaxes the eye, moisturizes it and helps restore its natural mobility. Usually we blink about 50 times per minute, but in case of stress, strain when looking at the screen or with poor eyesight, blinking becomes more rare. The movement of the upper eyelid improves visual perception and saves us from overly staring. Repeat several times a day.

Ball

Stand up, legs apart, feet symmetrical. Throw a colored ball from hand to hand, following it with your eyes. Change the trajectory: throw higher, closer, harder, etc.

This exercise allows you to temporarily get rid of the number one enemy of vision – a fixed gaze. The eye that sees well is a moving eye.

wall clock

Imagine a huge wall clock – from floor to ceiling. Slowly (at your convenience) follow the dial with your eyes open or closed – as you wish. You can also follow your finger as it circles the dial.

This exercise improves memory and perception ability. It stimulates eye movement and stretches the oculomotor muscles. Perform it without hesitation, at the first sign of eye fatigue.

Pencil

Turn to face the window, take a pencil in your hand. Hold it absolutely straight, 15 centimeters from your nose. The pencil is clearly visible, but the window in the background is blurry or doubles. Stop looking at the pencil and look at the window – this time the pencil doubles. Repeat five or six times, moving from pencil to window.

This exercise strengthens the eye muscles.

Shaking

Stand by the window, feet shoulder-width apart. Slowly shift your weight onto one leg, then the other. The knees are soft, but the legs remain straight. Your eyes automatically follow the movement of the body. Look ahead and you will notice: the window frame is moving, the buildings or trees on the street too, but in the opposite direction! This exercise improves perception and observation.

By creating a sense of movement in relation to a stationary object, it relaxes the cranial nerves responsible for accommodating the eye.

In front of computer

• Straighten up, relax your shoulders.
• Blink regularly to relax and moisturize your eyes. A little palming won’t hurt you.
• As often as possible, look into the distance – at the sky or, if this is not possible, at the wall of the house opposite. If your desk is against a wall, hang a poster in front of you, preferably a landscape with a distant horizon.
• Do not sit in front of the monitor for more than an hour continuously. Take a break every hour, go to the window, breathe in fresh air. Use it to stretch, yawn, or quench your thirst.

About it

• Jonathan Barnes. “Improving vision without glasses according to the Bates method.” Potpourri, 2007. Description of original exercises that help naturally “retrain” the eyes and correct vision.