We know that yoga is a great exercise for mind, body and soul, but have you ever heard of eye yoga? It’s a trend that’s becoming more and more popular in the summer months as we take extra care to look after our eyes. Eye exercises are said to improve and strengthen the muscles in the eye, as well as helping us focus and de-stress from the strain we put on our eyes every day. Even Paul McCartney is said to be a fan of eye yoga!

We’ll be looking at the exercises that are used and if there are any eye yoga benefits and, most of all, does eye yoga really work? Let’s find out.

What are the benefits of eye yoga?

There are no definite answers for whether eye yoga can improve any eye conditions or maintain eye health, however it appears to have positive effects for some eye concerns.

Improving eyesight

Unfortunately, there is no scientific proof that eye yoga or any other eye exercise can help with myopia, or nearsightedness. Recent studies have found that eye yoga has no impact on eyesight, but it shouldn’t be completely ruled out as a method alongside other treatments.

May help eye strain

Eye yoga may help to avoid and cure eye strain symptoms, if a regular routine is maintained. You may find your eyes feeling less fatigued and generally more ‘awake.’ Eye strain is mainly stress related, so the practise of eye yoga may improve stress-related worries as a whole, just as yoga would for overall mental health and well-being.

Glaucoma 

Glaucoma is a disorder in which the optic nerve, which communicates the eye to the brain, is injured. Eye yoga activities, according to some, can decrease intraocular pressure (IOP) in the eye. If this is the case, it may help to halt the progression of glaucoma which can cause blurred vision or the appearance of bright flashing colours. 

Cataracts surgery

Practising eye yoga exercises after cataract surgery could help with rebuilding optic strength, however this isn’t advisable immediately after surgery, always check with a healthcare professional before partaking in any kind of exercise after eye surgery. The best thing you can do for your eyes after this type of invasive surgery is give them plenty of time to heal. 

Eye yoga exercises

If you’d like to give it a try, here are a few easy eye exercises to introduce yourself to eye yoga. On days when you’ve been staring at a screen for several hours, you might want to try these exercises to see if they help ease discomfort. If you wear contact lenses, you should take them out before attempting these exercises.

Shifting your focus

1. Extend your left hand as far as it will go and lift your thumb into a thumbs-up position.
2. Sit up straight and keep your gaze fixed ahead. Keep your focus fixed on your thumb.
3. Slowly move your arm to the right as far as you can, keeping your eyes on your thumb.
4. Return your arm in the opposite way, following your thumb as far as your eye will allow you to travel without turning your neck or chin.
5. Repeat the above steps a few times.

Blinking

1. Straighten up and sit or stand. Maintain a relaxed posture with a straight neck and a forward gaze.
2. For 10-15 seconds, blink your eyes very quickly.
3. Allow your eyes to close, rest, and soften gradually.
4. Take note of how your eyes are feeling. At least once each hour, try to repeat.

Eye rolling

(Some of us are already experts at this one!)

1. Straighten up and sit or stand. Look ahead while keeping your shoulders relaxed and your neck neutral.
2. Look to your right before slowly rolling your eyes up into the sky.
3. Drop your eyes down to your left, and then down to the ground.
4. This should be done in both clockwise and anti-clockwise orientations.

Other ways to protect your eyes

Eye yoga can be a fun and relaxing way of looking after your eyes, but as we have seen recently with scorching temperatures, the sun is particularly something we should be protecting our eyes from. 

All of our sunglasses come with UV400 lenses as standard which give you 100% protection from harmful UVA and UVB rays emitted from the sun. As well as being stylish and affordable, our sunglasses are a must for protecting your eyes this summer. Browse our full range of women’s sunglasses and men’s sunglasses to make your summer style sizzle! 

If your job involves you staring at a screen all day you might find that our Digital Media Lenses can help with eye strain. This type of lens protects the eye from blue light emitted from screens, and can also prevent headaches. If at all possible, you should take regular breaks from screen time and try not to use devices for going to sleep.

Why not read our blog post which is all about how you can take care of your eyes, especially if you’re working from home. 

Try before you buy

Here at Arlo Wolf we give you the option to try before you buy if you’re stuck between styles. Simply choose any four pairs across the entire range of sunglasses and optical glasses, and we’ll send them straight to your door! To make things even easier, we have a handy face shapes guide which matches our signature styles to your face shape. It’s really that easy to find your perfect pair this season!