Can Exercise Help Maintain Healthy Eyesight?

Published on September 13th, 2024

Exercise and physical activity can help maintain healthy eyes and prevent certain diseases. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle by regularly exercising and eating a balanced diet is beneficial for overall health and in turn aids in eye health. There are also certain eye exercises that can help improve eye comfort. These eye exercises include figure eight, blinking, palming, pencil push-ups and 20-20-20 rule. The eye problems that can potentially be prevented or treated by performing eye exercises are digital eye strain, amblyopia (lazy eye), convergence insufficiency, strabismus (crossed eyes) and eye fatigue. Keep reading to learn more about how exercise is beneficial for eye health and also how eye exercises can be used to help certain eye problems.

Can Exercise Improve Eyesight?

No, exercise cannot improve eyesight, however, living a healthy lifestyle such as being physically active and eating a healthy diet can be beneficial for eye health. According to an article published in the National Library of Medicine titled, Effects and potential mechanisms of exercise and physical activity on eye health and ocular diseases, exercising and being physically active can positively impact eye health by protecting against certain diseases and maintaining the health of normal mechanisms of the eye.

What are Examples of Eye Exercises that Alleviate Eye Strain?

The eye exercises that may possibly help to alleviate eye strain include the 20-20-20 rule, blinking, figure eight, palming and pencil push-ups. The eye exercises that can help alleviate eye strain are listed below.

20-20-20 rule: The 20-20-20 rule is used to give the eyes frequent breaks. The rule entails looking at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes.
Blinking: Blinking is a movement that involves opening and closing the eyes, helping to keep the eye moisturised. Ensuring a person is blinking regularly, may help reduce dry eyes and eye strain.
Figure eight: A figure eight eye exercise involves tracking an object in the figure of an eight, or infinity sign, and may help to reduce digital eye strain.
Palming: Palming involves gently resting the palm of the hands over the eyes, to break eye concentration and potentially reduce eye strain and fatigue.
Pencil push-ups: Pencil push-ups are an eye exercise that are used to train the eyes to converge when looking at an object close up.

What is the Connection Between Exercise and Eye Health?

The connection between exercise and eye health has been heavily discussed in the eye health field. According to an article published in the National Library of Medicine, research shows that exercise can increase tear production which is a very important part of the eye’s health, contributing to the stability of the tear film. Exercise also contributes to weight control and can subsequently reduce blood sugar levels and blood pressure therefore reducing the impact of metabolic factors on the function and structure of the eye’s lens.

Can Exercise Help in the Management of Age-related Macular Degeneration?

Yes, exercise can help in the management of age-related macular degeneration as it can reduce the overgrowth of blood vessels in the eyes. According to the Lions Eye Institute, recent research has found that exercise may prevent or slow the development of macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision loss and occurs due to damage of the cells in the macular affecting central vision. Age-related macular degeneration may lead to blurred central vision, dark spots in central vision and difficulty recognising faces. Treatments for age-related macular degeneration focus on preserving vision.

What are the Eye Exercise Benefits?

There are many benefits of eye exercises to help improve the comfort of the eyes. Eye exercises are especially beneficial for people who spend a lot of time in front of a screen and may, as a result, have computer vision syndrome. The potential benefits of eye and vision exercises include providing relief from digital eye strain and eye fatigue, strengthening eye muscles and improving blood circulation.

Illustrations of people performing eye exercises.

What are Eye Problems you can Prevent with Eye Exercises?

The eye problems that can potentially be prevented or treated by performing eye exercises are digital eye strain, amblyopia (lazy eye), convergence insufficiency, strabismus (crossed eyes) and eye fatigue. These eye problems and their definitions are listed below.

Digital eye strain: Digital eye strain is a common eye problem caused by looking at digital screens such as a phone or computer for long periods of time.
Amblyopia (lazy eye): Amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, is an eye condition where one eye has poorer, weaker vision than the other due to developmental issues.
Convergence insufficiency: Convergence insufficiency is a condition that affects the eye’s ability to work together when looking at objects close-up.
Strabismus (crossed eyes): Strabismus, also known as crossed eyes, is an eye condition that occurs when one eye turns in a different direction than the other eye.
Eye fatigue: Eye fatigue is a very common eye problem caused by the eyes concentrating on tasks or objects for a long period.

1. Digital Eye Strain

Digital eye strain is a common eye problem caused by looking at digital screens such as a phone or computer for long periods of time. The common symptoms of computer eye strain include blurred vision, dry eyes, eye discomfort and trouble focusing. Digital eye strain can be relieved by performing certain tasks and eye exercises such as the 20-20-20 rule, blinking regularly and figure eight. The 20-20-20 rule involves every 20 minutes, looking at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Blinking helps keep the surface of the eye moist and is especially helpful for digital eye strain as people tend to blink less when looking at a screen. Finally, the figure eight eye exercise involves tracking an object in the figure of an eight, or infinity symbol.

2. Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)

Amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, is an eye condition where one eye has poorer, weaker vision than the other due to developmental issues, such as unusual nerve pathways to the retina resulting in fewer visual signals from the eye being sent to the brain. The symptoms of lazy eye (amblyopia) may include eye misalignment, either nearsightedness or farsightedness, repeated squinting and closing of the eyes and crossed eyes. Eye training and exercises are one of the treatment options for amblyopia and involve using exercise and eye-strengthening drills to strengthen the weaker eye muscles, including focusing on a finger or other point as it moves side to side. It is important to note that amblyopia can only be treated during childhood.

3. Convergence Insufficiency

Convergence insufficiency is a condition that affects the eye’s ability to work together when looking at objects close-up. According to the National Library of Medicine, convergence insufficiency can be treated with convergence eye exercises which are a type of vision therapy. Convergence exercises include focusing on objects at different distances. The symptoms of convergence insufficiency include blurry vision, tired eyes, double vision, headaches and trouble concentrating.

4. Strabismus (Crossed Eyes)

Strabismus, also known as crossed eyes, is an eye condition that commonly affects children and occurs when one eye turns in a different direction than the other eye. People with strabismus have lesser control of eye movement which means they are not able to keep ocular alignment. There are multiple symptoms and signs of the eye condition crossed eyes (strabismus), the most common ones being double vision, misaligned-looking eyes, turning the head to view objects, improper depth perception and the eyes not moving together. In some cases, strabismus can be treated using vision therapy, which is a non-invasive treatment that includes eye exercises that help to treat the nervous system and the brain as they control the eye muscles.

5. Eye Fatigue

Eye fatigue is a very common eye problem caused by the eyes concentrating on tasks or objects for a long period of time, which may lead to sensitivity to light, dry or watery eyes and blurred eyesight. Eye fatigue may be prevented by enacting lifestyle changes. For example, if you spend long periods of time in front of a computer screen for work, you can use the 20-20-20 rule which involves taking a 20-second break every 20 minutes to look at an object 20 feet away, or 6 metres. Other tips for reducing eye fatigue include blinking often to moisten your eyes when concentrating on specific tasks and when working on a computer, you can enlarge the text on the screen to make it easier to read.

A man holding glasses experiencing eye fatigue.

Are There any Exercises that Should be Avoided by Individuals with Certain Eye Conditions?

Yes, there are some exercises that should be avoided or approached with caution for individuals who have certain eye conditions. According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, people with Glaucoma are advised to avoid exercises that involve inverted positions such as in yoga and straining such as in strength training. Inverted positions and straining can lead to a spike in eye pressure, leading to a higher risk of optic nerve damage.