Eye gymnastics in combination with other techniques not only increases the tone of the muscles of the visual apparatus, but also helps to improve vision. The only important thing is not to forget about daily training and to carry out the exercises correctly. Before you start gymnastics, you must consult a qualified ophthalmologist. The doctor carries out a diagnosis and assesses the quality of vision. Today, several effective methods of non-surgical vision improvement have been developed, so it is better to leave the selection of the optimal method to a specialist.
Rules for performing gymnastics
Although in our time there are several proven and medically used methods of restoring vision with the help of gymnastics, they should be carried out according to the same rules. Therefore, before choosing one or another method of recovery, read the recommendations of ophthalmologists:
- Only regular exercise brings benefits. The regime must be followed. Choose a gymnastics program yourself - twice a day, once in the morning or evening, once every few days. Remember that consistency and the absence of omissions are the key to the effectiveness of the complex.
- Be patient when doing the exercises. If you're in a hurry to get somewhere, you shouldn't even start doing gymnastics. Then the opposite effect occurs. There is a risk that the eye muscles will not be trained properly or, on the contrary, will be overstressed, thereby worsening the effect of the gymnastics.
- Do not exaggerate. Do not think that the more often you repeat gymnastic exercises, the faster you will feel the healing effect. This is far from true, and with your futile efforts you are contributing to unnecessary strain on the visual system.
- Maintain intervals. You should not start each new exercise as soon as you finish the previous one. Sit with your eyelids closed for about half a minute and only then start a new exercise.
- Relax. There is no point in doing gymnastics and at the same time constantly sitting in front of the computer day and night. If you decide to restore your vision, be prepared for the fact that you will have to approach this process comprehensively - both from a nutritional point of view and from the point of view of your daily routine.
Palming after W. G. Bates
Before you start gymnastics, you need to properly prepare for it. Just like sports, you can't come to the gym from home and immediately take on a heavy load on your chest. The effect is zero and you risk a muscle tear, strain on your back or a hernia. The same applies to the visual system. It must be properly prepared before proceeding with a block of effective and complex exercises.
Ophthalmologists have developed a small complex that allows you to relax your eyes and properly prepare them for the subsequent load on the muscles during gymnastics. Palming is an integral part of any gymnastics to restore vision.
Palming is a fairly popular and simple exercise for relaxing the muscles of the visual system. This exercise uses both palms. The principle of palming consists of the following steps:
- It is necessary to warm up the palms. The best way to do this is to rub them together until they are slightly red and hot.
- Fold your palms so that their inner ribs touch each other and are in the same plane.
- Bend your elbows, find a place to support yourself (a table or knee, for example), and close your eyes with your palms so that only the fingers of one hand are on top of the other.
- Spend 5-7 minutes in this position. Repeat after some time if necessary.
The essence of the heel of the hand is to cause so-called "flashes" in the eyes. However, you should not put pressure on the eyeballs.
This simple exercise can improve vision and is effective for nearsightedness and farsightedness. When palming, the warmth of the palms affects the facial nerves and eye muscles, relaxing them and increasing blood circulation. Such regular training can even change the angle of the eyeball, which means you can count on a noticeable positive effect even with squinting. You just need to squeeze your fingers as tightly as possible so that light does not pass through them. It is important that you relax as much as possible when palming and assume a comfortable and relaxing position.
In the initial stages of the heel of the hand, there may be not entirely pleasant sensations in the eye area, pain and a feeling of pressure "from the inside". This is a completely normal condition and after a few exercises the discomfort disappears.
Exercise No. 1. I'm writing to you. . .
Although the previous exercise relieved the strain on the visual system, the muscles did not relax completely. That's exactly what we're doing now. Unfortunately, many people who are trying to restore their eyesight and relax as much as possible forget that any exercise also involves the neck, as it also needs attention. From the neck area, the blood reaches our eyes and thus provides nutrition. We will try to do everything to return this process to normal after numerous violations when working in front of the monitor. For gymnastics, you will need a chair or mat, as it can be performed in two positions: sitting and lying down.
To achieve the correct result in gymnastics you need:
- Assume a comfortable position lying or sitting.
- Closed eyes.
- Relax.
- Imagine that there is a pen attached to the tip of your nose and you urgently need to write a letter.
- Now you can start drawing simple figures or writing whole words, but definitely with your nose, without using your hands.
- The neck should also be involved in this process.
- First, try writing the entire alphabet.
- Increase the difficulty and try to repeat your favorite verse or at least a few lines from it.
Exercise #2. See through your fingers
Another exercise can relieve eye fatigue. The implementation is not limited to a specific pose either. You need:
- Bend your elbows.
- Open your fingers.
- Bring your palms to your eyes so that the back of each palm is directly under the eye.
- Now look through your fingers at all the objects in the room.
- The most important thing is not to focus on the fingers themselves; the point of the exercise is to see something beyond yourself.
The exercise can be made more difficult by trying to concentrate on moving objects in space. Look in different directions, turn around without moving your hands away from your face. Do the exercise about thirty times, spending no more than five seconds on each attempt to see something in the distance. This exercise will seem difficult at first, but over time you will learn to concentrate on individual things without paying attention to your hands.
| Exercise name | Lead time | Number of approaches |
|---|---|---|
| Exercise #1 | 30 seconds | 3 approaches |
| Exercise #2 | No longer than 5 seconds | 3 sets of 10 times |
| Warm up | 30 seconds | 2 to 3 approaches |
Solarization: the life-giving power of light
Solarization is a series of exercises whose main active factor is bright light.
Solarization can be done with:
- Sveta;
- Sun;
- candles;
- electric light bulb.
Solarization in sunlight is considered the most effective method, but it is not always possible to use a natural light source. Therefore, candles and light bulbs can also find useful uses.
Solarization takes place in several steps:
- Take a position relative to the light source so that your face is directly opposite it. Eyes should be closed.
- Try to get used to the bright light without squinting (your eyes should still be closed). If you feel pain in your eyes, you can briefly cover them with your palms, then remove them and try again.
- It is necessary to slowly turn your head first to the right and then to the left so that the light can develop its effect evenly.
- After solarization is complete, do palming.
Solarization is effective in restoring vision. It improves blood circulation and also promotes rapid regeneration of eye tissue, especially in the postoperative period.
Improving blood circulation through gymnastics
Often a person loses their vision due to impaired blood circulation in a certain area. It does not reach the necessary muscles and nerves in the required amount, which is why myopia develops and the retina becomes thinner. The best thing you can do without surgery is to try to improve your blood circulation yourself. Massage movements are best suited for this.
| NO. | Description | Lead time | Number of approaches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exercise 1 | Using massage movements, move from the lower part of the eyelid of the right eye to the bridge of the nose, then along the upper part of the left eye and back to the bridge of the nose. So it's like drawing an infinity sign or a pair of glasses | Do the exercise for one minute | The exercise is performed in 2-3 approaches |
| exercise 2 | Move your eyes left and right as if you were moving your pupils along the horizon line. Do this at maximum speed, but so that there is no pain in the eyes when performing the exercise | Within thirty seconds | 2-3 approaches |
| Exercise 3 | Move your eyes up and down and move your pupils in a vertical line at maximum speed | Within thirty seconds | 2-3 approaches |
| Exercise 4 | Squint your eyes quickly and relax your eyes immediately | Executed 10 times | 2-3 approaches |
| Exercise 5 | Place your index finger on the bridge of your nose. Try to bring your eyes together as much as possible to see him. | Hold your attention on your finger for two to three seconds. | Five approaches |
| Exercise 6 | Blink very quickly | Within twenty seconds | Three approaches |
| Exercise 7 | Look out the window. Identify a specific object in the distance for yourself. Place a circle on the glass next to the object. Shift your vision from a distant object to a sticker and vice versa | Within a minute | Three approaches |
After completing such a complex, the muscles of the visual apparatus are toned and you not only get a therapeutic effect after the first exercises performed, but also prevent various eye diseases that are accompanied by poor blood circulation.
Combat myopia with gymnastics
It is scientifically proven that myopia is the most common eye disease and there are a number of reasons for this. Extreme fatigue, constant contact with technical devices and a lack of rest for the eyes take their toll. Someone loses their eyesight due to bad heredity, while others come to a sad outcome on their own. But there are now gymnastics that can partially restore vision and also serve as a preventive measure against further vision loss.
To perform gymnastics, you need to take a sitting position and relax.
| NO. | Description | Lead time | Number of approaches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exercise 1 | Close your eyes. Sit upright. Try sitting back and taking a deep breath. Bend forward and exhale without opening your eyes | Carry out the procedure for exactly one minute | Two approaches |
| exercise 2 | Lean on the back of the seat. Open your eyes. Lean your body forward and close your eyes sharply. Then open your eyes and return to the starting position | Carry out the procedure for exactly one minute | Two approaches |
| Exercise 3 | While sitting, place your hands on your waist and turn your head to one side and then the other so that you can see your elbow | Carry out the procedure for exactly one minute | Two approaches |
| Exercise 4 | Start rotating your eyes clockwise and then counterclockwise | Perform thirty seconds in one direction and thirty seconds in the other direction. | Three trips |
| Exercise 5 | Extend your arms. Look at your fingertips. Raise your hands, but continue to pay attention to your fingers. You can't move your head. As soon as you lose sight of your fingers, drop your hands | Carry out the procedure for exactly one minute | Two approaches |
Movement-based gymnastics
There are several types of basic exercises from which it is recommended to create individual gymnastic complexes:
- circular movements of the eyes;
- describe geometric shapes with your eyes;
- focus the gaze;
- auxiliary lines (top-bottom, left-right);
- Blink/close your eyes.
Exercises that can be used to prevent and treat myopia include:
| NO. | Exercise | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Focus | You should look into the distance and aim it at the furthest point in sight. Slowly move your gaze to the tip of your nose |
| 2 | Circular movements | Describe a circle with your eyes. Repeat 10 times. Next, perform the exercise in the opposite direction. |
| 3 | flashes | Blink quickly for a few minutes |
| 4 | Squeeze your eyes shut while sitting | Close your eyes for a few seconds and repeat the process several times |
| 5 | Eyelid massage | Close your eyes and massage your eyelids in circular motions with light pressure. |
| 6 | Eye contact | Direct your gaze to the place where the eyebrows grow together, hold it for 2-3 seconds, then return to the starting position and repeat the procedure |
| 7 | Head rotation with change of gaze | You should slowly turn your head to the side and direct your gaze in the same direction. Next, turn your head in a different direction. |
Effective gymnastics for farsightedness:
- Focusing on a distant object. Place your finger 30-40cm away from your face. Look into the distance and then focus on your finger.
- Read between the lines. "Pick up a book, read a few paragraphs of text, and then focus on the space between the lines.
- Head spins. Turn your head left, then right, all the while looking forward.
- Observation of moving objects.
After each set of exercises, you need to give your eyes a break. You can relax the eye muscles with a light massage or compresses.
Preventive gymnastics
In order for visual acuity not to decrease, it is necessary to perform the following exercises from time to time:
- "Draw letters. "You must use your eyeballs to describe any number of letters from the alphabet. The exercise is considered complete when you have managed to describe all 33 letters.
- Open your mouth - close your eyes. At the same time, open your mouth and then your eyes wide. Try opening your mouth and eyes at the same time.
- Blink/close your eyes. It is necessary to alternate frequent blinking with squinting for 3-5 seconds.
- Massage the upper eyelids with light circular movements.
- Move your gaze up and down.
- Move your gaze diagonally.
- Pressure. You should close your eyelids and not press them too hard.
- Look through your fingers. Cover your eyes with your palms, spread your fingers a little, look through them for a few seconds, and then squeeze them tightly again.
- narrowing. You need to close your eyes, touch the outer corner with your middle fingers and pull it to the side. You should feel a slight tension in your muscles.
- Tilt your head down, relax your neck muscles, and rest your chin on your breastbone. Direct your gaze to the floor. Then slowly tilt your head back and look up.
Don't underestimate preventive eye exercises. After all, it is the eyes that are constantly exposed to the most harmful factors. Stress, bad habits, vitamin deficiency, frequent illnesses and an unfavorable environment are often the causes of sudden and rapid loss of vision.
The table below lists three exercise groups that provide a range of preventive measures.
| exercise group | Starting position | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Exercises to strengthen the eye muscles | When sitting, the head is motionless | Look away to the right, then to the left, without changing the position of your head |
| Exercises to stimulate blood circulation and circulation | meeting | Close your eyes alternately |
| Accommodation exercises | Stand | Fix your hand with your finger outstretched at a distance of 30 cm from your face and direct your gaze towards it. Slowly move your finger toward your face without changing focus. If it seems that your finger is doubled, you need to gently move it back to the original distance |
For those who spend a lot of time at the computer and work with papers and small print, preventive gymnastics is simply necessary.
Morning exercises for the eyes
Exercising in the morning wakes up the body quickly, strengthens the muscles and puts you in a good mood for the whole day. How about morning exercises for your eyes? The sensations from it are no less pleasant.
Morning exercises can be done in several steps:
- Stay in a horizontal position, stretch and relax your neck muscles.
- Open your mouth and eyes wide several times at the same time.
- Make several squinting movements lasting 3-5 seconds.
- Then blink frequently, but not very quickly.
- Close your eyelids and use your nose to describe any figure in the air. In this way you can "write" or "draw" words and letters. The duration of this exercise is on average 2-3 minutes. The images that arise from such an exercise allow the brain to "wake up" more quickly and start working again.
- Raise and lower your eyebrows several times. Sometimes he frowned, sometimes surprised.
- Lie on your back and perform palm movements.
- Turn your head back and forth for 2-3 minutes. This takes pressure off the upper spine, which is especially important if you had to sleep in an uncomfortable position.
Overall, eye exercises in the morning do not take much time, but they have a noticeable positive effect: after 1-2 weeks, visual acuity noticeably improves, the number of headaches decreases, and there are no signs of fatigue on the face.
Evening exercises for the eyes
In the evening, gymnastics is especially necessary to relax the muscles of the visual system from daytime tension. Palming is therefore increasingly combined with exercises to combat myopia and retinal diseases:
- Lie down for a while with your eyes closed.
- Rotate your pupils clockwise and counterclockwise without opening your eyes.
- Open your left and right eyes alternately.
- Look at an object that is two or three meters away from you. Direct your gaze to an object further away. Then again to finish.
- If possible, hang a table with letters, like in an ophthalmologist's office. Every evening, look at the letters and study the outlines. Think about how much you saw at the beginning, how much a week later, and so on.
- Finally, pull on the eyelids with your fingertips, moving the skin away from the eye. Do this for a minute on the bottom, top and sides.
Get into the habit of sleeping with a special medical eye patch. It allows you to have a healthy sleep and your eyes do not react painfully to the morning sunlight entering your room.
Tibetan gymnastics
There are many techniques that include various eye exercises aimed at correcting vision, preventing cataracts, and treating many eye-related diseases. Tibetan gymnastics is one of the most common and effective. It includes the following exercises:
- Peripheral vision training. With your arms outstretched, place your two index fingers in front of your eyes, 35-40 cm apart, and connect them. Slowly spread your arms with your fingers extended to the sides without changing your gaze. The goal is to look straight ahead but see the fingers in your peripheral vision. Then bring your fingers together again in front of you.
- Pressure. Press your fingers lightly and quickly on your closed eyeballs, then open your eyes and try not to blink for about 5 to 6 seconds.
- Square. Describe the square with your eyes: look down - left - up - right. Then repeat the process in the opposite direction: look up – right – down – left.
- Blinks frequently for about a minute.
- Light eyelid massage. Close your eyelids and, with light massage movements, move from the inner corner of the eye to the outer one along the upper eyelid and then along the lower eyelid.
Each Tibetan gymnastics exercise should be performed for at least a minute or for at least 10-15 repetitions.
Yoga for your eyes
Many people have found yoga to be a treasure trove of health benefits. Every year there are more and more fans of this lifestyle, which is more of a lifestyle than a sport, and that has its justification. But not many people know that yoga is not just for the body but also for the eyes. Such exercises, if carried out systematically well into old age, will help keep your eyesight in excellent condition.
All you need to do is take a comfortable sitting position on the floor and keep your back straight. Relax and think of something pleasant. Begin a series of exercises with a light warm-up, trying to move your gaze from side to side while trying not to move your neck and head.
Now that you've moved around a bit, you can start doing the exercises themselves.
- Exercise #1
Achieve even and gentle breathing. Try to focus your gaze on the space between the eyebrows, practically connecting the pupils in the area of the bridge of the nose. Of course, you won't succeed the first time, but with systematic repetition of the exercise you will achieve success. You need to hold your pupils in place for at least two seconds and keep increasing the delay time. This exercise should be performed ten times. Give your eyes a few seconds of rest after each approach.
- Exercise #2
After the first exercise, give your students a short break, blink, close their eyelids for a while and gently open them. As soon as you feel that the tension has subsided, prepare for a new exercise. Your position remains the same. Eyes should be wide open and breathing should be even. Place your finger on the tip of your nose and try to see it with both eyes. This means that the pupils meet again at the bridge of the nose, but in contrast to the previous exercise, the gaze is already directed downwards. Repeat this ten times, giving your eyes some rest in between.
- Exercise #3
Now try to look to the right with both eyes and look as far as possible, but without turning your body and head. Then look to the left. Now we repeat the same thing, looking from top to bottom. The exercise should not be easy for you; the further you move your pupils away and look in one direction, the faster you will achieve the desired effect of the complex.
- Exercise #4
Continue to maintain an even posture and pay attention to even breathing. Proceed to the next stage. Look down without lowering your head. Then start moving one pupil clockwise. Once you reach the spot where you started the exercise, start moving counterclockwise. Then start forming a circle from above. Perform the exercise in twenty approaches, ten each for the position of the eyes above and below. Try to slowly form a circle with your pupils, seeing as much as possible on each side.
- Exercise number 5
Now you need to relax the eye muscles again so that they are no longer tense and feel a surge of strength. To do this, close your eyes, think of something good and rest for a few minutes, paying attention to your even breathing.
This completes the yoga complex. Many ophthalmologists advise their patients to perform such exercises not only to maintain eye health, but also to experience the therapeutic effect.
Based on the practice of doctors, daily yoga classes in the morning and evening help strengthen muscles, relieve stress and generally improve retinal health. This means you can attempt to recover lost units without the help of surgeons.
It is not necessary to follow a series of classes as it is not that difficult to create your own gymnastics program. It may include exercises, massages, and exercises to relieve fatigue.