Give your Eyes the Benefits of Exercise

Exercise. It's something that a large percentage of the population recognizes as a crucial aspect of health and wellness. We choose exercises based on our interests and, often, on our physical abilities and current level of fitness. As we get full swing into a new year, this is a great time to revisit your commitment to exercise, and also to think about all the ways that your body can be activated for optimal physical performance. Just as the rest of your body gains from working out, so do your eyes.

How to Exercise the Eyes

The mere idea of exercising the eyes may sound completely senseless. Then, it may sound difficult. We're going to make it easy by offering a few suggestions on how you can stretch and work the muscles that support eyesight.

Seeing from all Sides

The more we take in, the better we are able to read our environment; the better we can respond to external stimuli. Being able to see what is beside you, either right beside you or at a distance, is important to your overall safety and performance. You can support your peripheral vision just by paying attention to it. The way you do this is by taking mental note of what you see in your periphery either when you are looking straight forward, or when you are glancing to the side without turning your head.

Eye Stretches

Stretching out your arms, legs, or back is one thing. It's easy. But your eyes? This seems like quite the challenge! Actually, it's not. And, stretching your eyes can help you more quickly home in on objects that are far from you as easily as you can those that are close by. The way that your eyes get stretched is by simply looking at objects at various distances. Start closer, and gradually move away until you are observing an object at the farthest possible distance without losing its clarity.

While the performance of eye exercises does not necessarily mean that you won't have to wear glasses someday, or that you will avoid age-related eye diseases, it can mean that your visual acuity stays sharper than it would otherwise. This can help you on the court, on the field, or in the car.

Is it time for your eye exam? Call our Houston office at 713-668-7337.