After spending a day at work with your eyes glued to your computer screen, you often feel stinging or dry eyes? You are probably suffering from visual fatigue (and you are not the only one). According to an analysis published by “Vision Health Experts” in November 2019, 7 out of 10 French people would suffer from visual fatigue at the end of the day. And since then, confinements and telework have been there and the screen time (computer, tablet or telephone) of users has drastically increased. A survey carried out by Ifop in early April 2020 revealed that 62% of smartphone owners said they spent more time with their eyes glued to the screen.
An increase that can have consequences on visual health, in particular by amplifying eye fatigue. But what is it exactly? It most often results from overusing our eyes and manifests as dry, red eyes, itchy eyes and in the worst cases headaches and nausea. In the case of visual fatigue, vision becomes weaker: you have the impression of being dazzled, you see double… Eye fatigue can be amplified by prolonged exposure to screens, poor lighting or a long period driving for example.
The “eye yoga” to relieve fatigue
To limit it, certain reflexes can be good to take such as taking visual breaks, forcing yourself to blink your eyes or even protecting yourself from blue light. Drops replacing tears may also be prescribed. Finally, “eye yoga” type exercises can also be performed. This is the case of palming. Exercise invented by an American ophthalmologist, Dr. William Bates in the 1920s, palming is based on ocular and mental relaxation. It involves relaxing muscle tension in and around the eyes.
How to perform palming? Make yourself comfortable on a chair, in front of a table. Rub your hands together vigorously to warm them up, then rest your elbows on the table. Slightly bend your chest forward and cover your eyes with your hands – as if they were shells – without pressing on the eyeballs. Squeeze your fingers together tightly so as not to let the light pass through. The hands are placed at an angle, the palms at eye level while the fingers are superimposed at forehead level. Breathe calmly and stay in this position for 2 to 3 minutes, several times a day. It can also be done standing in the office or lying in bed at night.
To lower eye pressure, it is also advisable to practice “third eye yoga”. This consists of pressing with your index finger the point located in the middle of the forehead and eyebrows. The little extra : massage the temples using small circular movements.