Many people have seen their eyesight improve by using eye exercises. But, the purpose of eye exercises is not to strengthen eye muscles but to relax them.

The Bates theory of the cause of blurred eyesight (like myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism) indicates that chronically tense muscles external to the eye cause the eye to become distorted from its naturally spherical shape. Tense muscles that elongate the eye cause nearsightedness or myopia. Tense muscles that flatten the eye cause hyperopia or farsightedness.

So, eye exercises are an attempt to relax these external eye muscles and allow the eye to return to its normal spherical shape. And, as these muscles relax further over time, you eyesight will continue to improve.

Three Relaxing Eye Exercises that Improve Eyesight

One cause of chronically tense eye muscles is staring. And the first exercise to improve eyesight involves sweeping out an extensive visual field.

This exercise is often called the long swing. To do this exercise stand with your feet about a foot apart. Let your hands and arms freely rest at your side. Relax your shoulders, jaw and facial muscles. Look forward.

Now twist your upper body to the left. Let your head and eyes turn to the left. Your right heal may lift as you twist left. Your eyes should smoothly sweep to the left.

Then rotate your upper body back through the center and on to the right. Your eyes should smoothly sweep through the objects in your room from your left to your right. Then rotate your upper body left again, then right in an easy swinging motion for about 50 cycles.

During these long swings you will probably notice that you see many of the objects in your room more clearly. This is an indication that your eye muscles have relaxed and you are beginning to improve your eyesight, even if only temporarily while you are doing this exercise.

The next exercise is palming. Simply rest comfortably in a chair at a table. Place your elbows on the table with your palms over your eyes. Let the fingers of one hand overlap the fingers of the other while your palms cover over your eyes. Don’t press your palms into your eyes, but try to block out all the light.

Let your eyes rest and relax as they experience the darkness. As you breath out think that you are expelling the tension from your eyes. Do this for about ten minutes and your eyes will feel the relaxing difference.

The third exercise is sunning. Sit in front of a bright light or relax outdoors on a sunny day. Gently close your eyelids and become aware of the brightness and warmth of the light. Let your eyes enjoy the brightness and soothing warmth. You can gently rotate your head so first one eye enjoys the full exposure to the light and warmth, then rotate your head so the other eye enjoys the full exposure to the warmth.

During sunning you should feel the tension draining from your eyes and, at least for a few moments initially, you should experience improved eyesight when you first open your eyes.

As you can tell, eye exercises are more exercises for your mind that cause your tense eye muscles to relax. The more you do these eye exercises the more you will improve your eyesight.