We’re already halfway through 2021—over a year since COVID-19 struck and changed our lives forever—but most of us are still working, schooling, socialising (and doing everything in between) virtually from home, connected closely by Zoom and other such apps online. Screen time, which increased drastically in 2020, is through the roof, in turn increasing strain on the eyes and, in many cases, adversely affecting eye health.
While there is no evidence to suggest eye yoga can correct conditions like astigmatism, nearsightedness and farsightedness, or improve issues like dry eyes, yogic eye exercises can help strengthen muscles around your eyes. “Since our screen time has increased 100 per cent, eye yoga is definitely a must to practise. In addition to conditioning your eye muscles, these exercises improve focus, reduce brain fog and even help you relax,” says well-known Mumbai-based yoga expert and founder of Tangerine Arts Studio, Tanvi Mehra Mangalorkar.
One of her favourite moves is palming, where you rub both your hands together for some warmth before placing them over your eyes, fingertips resting on your forehead, as you breathe in and out for a few minutes. “Another exercise I like to do is placing a pencil or pen in front of the eyes and focusing on it as you move it in different directions. This not only trains the eye muscles but helps with focus as well,” adds Mehra Mangalorkar. She advises taking breaks in between such exercises to prevent feeling disoriented or dizzy.
However, Dr Shamin V Karbhari, an eye surgeon and a specialist in cataract and refractive surgery, points out eye yoga cannot alter the anatomy or physiology of the eye. “Eye yoga or exercises may delay the progression of numbers in glasses but again there is no scientific evidence to back this yet,” he adds.