Working at a computer, with papers in the office, assembling small parts behind a conveyor belt for a long time - all this tires the eyes and sooner or later can lead to myopia.However, simple but regular exercise can not only be an excellent preventive measure against vision loss, but also prevent diseases such as cataracts and glaucoma.
Who invented eye exercises?
Since ancient times, the problems of restoring sight have worried the minds of great scientists, priests and thinkers.Gradually, through trial and error, a specific system of exercises was created, echoes of which can be found in the works of Bates and other writers.Many experts criticize these exercise systems, but others consider them perfectly reasonable and acceptable.
Many ophthalmologists were also involved in the development of eye exercises, in particular a professor who worked for many years in senior positions at the Eye Research Institute.Under his leadership, a set of exercises aimed at improving blood circulation, normalizing intraocular pressure and increasing visual acuity was also developed.
Currently, in addition to the usual eye exercises that a person can perform, there are special computer programs and hardware methods for vision correction.
Exercises to improve vision according to the teacher's method
General strengthening exercises.Although many people believe that if you have myopia, only a few eye exercises are enough, it turns out that a sedentary lifestyle and poor physical condition contribute to the development of myopia.The opposite is also true: daily exercise and moderate physical work is an excellent means of preventing vision loss.
In the 80s of the last century, it was found that the following types of physical activity help to strengthen the eyelid muscle of the eye and improve blood circulation, if the pulse is in the range of 100-140 beats per minute:
- run?
- walk;
- skiing;
- swimming.
However, when performing the same exercises with a heart rate of 180 beats per minute, as well as jumping rope, gymnastics and acrobatics, there is a progression of myopia due to deterioration of adaptation and blood circulation in the eye.
How can you determine your heart rate to get the most visual benefits from running or walking?Of course, you can simply count using special instruments or count the number of heartbeats for 10 seconds and then multiply by 6. If this seems difficult to you, you can use the following method: physical activity is considered moderate if a person can speak in sharp, short sentences or phrases during sports.If the load is too heavy, which will be harmful to the eyes, there is only enough breath to utter only short words, for example, "yes", "no", "I don't know", etc.
Special exercises
They are divided into three groups: to improve blood circulation and adaptation, as well as to strengthen eye muscles.
Exercises to improve blood circulation and normalize intraocular pressure
The point of these exercises is that you should periodically do with your eyes:
- flashes frequently (for example, for a quarter of a minute), then pause a little to rest and repeat again 4 times.
- close your eyes for 5 seconds (do 8 times).
- Gently massage the eyes through the closed eyelids for 1 minute and then repeat by pressing them 3-4 times with three fingers for one second.
Exercises to strengthen eye muscles
The muscles of the eyeball become stronger and keep their shape well if we move our gaze smoothly without turning our head:
- vertically up-down, down-up.
- along the first and then the second diagonal in the up-down direction.
- horizontally left-right.
- clockwise and counterclockwise rotation.
It is recommended that you do almost every exercise in this block up to 10 times.
Exercises for visual acuity
The exercises in this group are based on moving the gaze from near distance to distance and back (while the gaze is fixed in each position for 3-5 seconds).It could be:
- bringing the index finger to the level of the nose on the face (so that its image becomes double) and removing it to the length of the hand.
- looking at a colored mark at eye level in the window and looking at a distant object located along our line of sight for 5-7 minutes daily.
Useful and fun exercises for kids
Not every child is able to do such exercises several times a day.And this is where toys that train eye accommodation and strengthen their muscles come to the rescue.It is important to exclude those games where there is a high probability of blows to the face, collisions, strong stretches or strains.
The following activities can largely replace "boring" exercises for children and help improve vision:
- short fast run (patch, advance).
- catching and passing the ball.
- by throwing a ball (a small bag of sand) against a wall or target on the floor.
During school, about halfway through the lesson, it's a good idea to blink rapidly for 30 seconds and then sit for 1 minute with your eyes closed while leaning back in your chair.