Palming is a simple eye exercise from yoga that helps relax your eye muscles and reduce tiredness. To do it, rub your hands together to warm them up. Close your eyes and gently place your palms over your eyes and cheekbones. Cup your hands over your eyes and take slow, deep breaths for about five minutes.
Spending long hours on phones or computers can slow blinking, making eyes dry, tired, and gritty. Consciously blinking helps keep them moist by spreading tears and stimulating oil glands. A simple exercise is to close your eyes, pause two seconds, then open them. You can gently squeeze eyelids while closed to add extra lubrication.
Learn how to keep your eyes safe from harmful UV rays when you’re outside or driving in daylight. UV exposure all year round can increase the risk of cataracts, age-related eye problems, and even sunburn on your eyes in extreme cases. Always choose sunglasses that block at least 99% of UVA and UVB rays.
If you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, keeping your blood sugar under control is important for protecting your vision. High blood sugar can cause serious eye problems, even leading to blindness if not managed. The CDC says up to 90% of diabetes-related vision loss can be prevented.
Want to know how your diet can help protect your eyes? Eating leafy greens and vegetables like spinach, kale, broccoli, zucchini, peas, avocado, and Brussels sprouts gives you important nutrients called lutein and zeaxanthin. Research from the National Eye Institute shows that these nutrients can help slow down certain eye problems as you age.
Those dry, scratchy eyes from staring at a computer aren’t just in your head. Screen glare can cause computer vision syndrome, leading to eye strain, discomfort, and sensitivity to light. To help, the American Optometric Association suggests keeping your screen at least 20 inches away from your eyes.
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