Beyond Work
5 Simple Ways to Revitalise Your Tired Eyes
21 August 2024
Eye strain is a common issue. Here are five ways to revitalise tired eyes without leaving your desk.
You’ve been there before: your eyes are strained staring at a screen for hours, but you’re locked in and brushing off any sign of tiredness, trying to power through your last bit of work.
Eye strain from office work is such a common complaint that the American Optometric Association has classified it as an eye condition called Computer Vision Syndrome. This occurs when our eyes get tired from intense, focused use.
Our eyes get tired when we look at a fixed distance for too long, such as driving long distances, reading a novel, or staring at our computer screens for hours during work.
Symptoms include pain in or around the eyes, blurred vision, watery or dry eyes, headache, double vision, difficulty concentrating, and sensitivity to light. Medical experts recommend taking a break every 20 minutes by looking at a distant object for 20 seconds.
Alternatively, you can also try these five exercises to alleviate the symptoms of eye strain without leaving your desk.
1. Blink Breaks
Medical research has found that people blink less when looking at a computer screen or smartphone. Blinking is an automatic reflex that lubricates our eyes and blinking less leads to dry and irritated eyes.
Combat this by taking ‘blink breaks’. Blink rapidly for 10 seconds every 10 minutes to moisten and refresh your eyes. This simple exercise helps prevent dryness and keeps the eyes comfortable, reducing the discomfort from digital strain.
Leave a Post-it note on your monitor or set a timer on your mobile phone to remind yourself to blink.
You can also consider using eye-drop solutions to moisturise and refresh your eyes.
"When my eyes feel tired, I often go for a quick walk to rest my eyes. The change of scenery helps me to shift my focus away from the screen."— Victoria Tan, Assistant Director, Corporate Communications, North-East Community Development Council
2. Use a Therapeutic Eye Mask
A therapeutic eye mask for tired eyes can ease fatigue by relaxing the muscles around your eyes and reducing tension.
Self-warming eye masks contain iron powder that oxidises, heating up when exposed to oxygen. Open a packet, put the mask on, and relax to a gentle, soothing warmth for ten minutes.
You can even get an electronic eye massage mask that plays relaxing music, circulates warm air, and massages your stress and tension away.
3. Eye Rolling
Just as we should stretch our muscles after sitting for a long time, you can also stretch your eyes if you've spent too long reading.
Sit comfortably and gently roll your eyes in a circular motion slowly: first clockwise, then counterclockwise. Repeat this exercise 5-10 times to relieve tension and enhance blood circulation around your eyes. If you need some help with eye-rolling, tell yourself a dad joke:
“A chicken pau and a mantou went to watch a sad movie. Only the chicken pau cried because the mantou had no filling.”
“For two minutes every hour, I look out of my window to stare at a small strip of sea and trees at East Coast Park.”— Faye Shen, Deputy Director, Corporate Communications Division, Ministry of Transport
4. Near-Far Focus
Our eyes are designed to automatically focus on different distances, so constantly looking at a monitor a fixed distance away strains our eyes. This simple focus exercise will make your eyes feel better.
Hold a pen or pencil at arm's length and concentrate on its tip. Gradually bring the object closer to your nose while keeping your focus steady, then move it back to arm's length. Repeat this exercise 5-10 times to strengthen your eye muscles and enhance their flexibility.
5. Palming
Add some heat to your tired eye muscles to help them relax.
Vigorously rub your palms together to create warmth, then gently cup them over your closed eyes without applying pressure so that the heat of your palms transfers to your muscles. Relax and breathe deeply for one to two minutes, focusing on the darkness. This palming technique will help to soothe tired eyes, reduce strain, and promote relaxation.
Your Eyes Deserve Care
Eye strain can be annoying, but it is not usually severe, and these methods will help you relieve its symptoms. Remember, your eyes are essential for almost everything you do, so taking proactive steps to care for them is crucial.
However, if eye discomfort persists, consider consulting a doctor. Eye strain symptoms may resemble other eye conditions, so if you have cause for concern, it’s best to speak with an ophthalmologist.
Text by Shawn Chung.
Photos by Amsyar Razak.