Doctors guide children through exercises to help reduce eye strain
Blinking, rolling eyes, looking near - far or in a figure 8 shape helps children relax, reduce eye strain and support the ability to regulate.
Proper exercise brings many benefits such as reducing eye fatigue, limiting dry eyes, improving the ability to regulate, and enhancing the coordination of eye muscles. According to MSc Luong Thi Anh Thu, High-Tech Eye Unit, Tam Anh Cau Giay General Clinic, some exercises also help the eyes feel more comfortable after long periods of studying or using electronic devices. The doctor points out simple exercises to help support children's vision care.
20-20-20 rule
After every 20 minutes of reading, studying or looking at a screen, parents guide children to look at an object at a distance of about 6 m for at least 20 seconds. Changing the focus helps the regulating muscles rest, reducing eye strain when having to look closely closely.
Blink actively
When concentrating on studying or using phones or tablets, children often blink less than usual. This causes the tear film to evaporate quickly, causing dry, scratchy eyes and temporary blurred vision. Parents can remind children to blink fully and proactively after every 20-30 minutes of studying or when children show signs of dry eyes or eye fatigue.
Pencil exercise approaches
Children hold a pencil in front of them at arm's length, then slowly bring the pencil closer to the bridge of their nose while still focusing on the tip. When the image begins to blur or look double, the child moves the pen away and repeats. This is an exercise that helps improve the convergence ability of the two eyes, supporting reading and learning activities.
Warm your eyes with your palms
Children can rub their palms to warm them and then gently place them on their closed eyes without pressing on the eyeballs for about 1-2 minutes. This movement helps children relax and rest after prolonged close-up viewing.
Avert your eyes and strain your eyes
Children keep their heads fixed, looking up, down, left, right and diagonally, each direction for about 2 seconds. Then, relax your eyes and rotate them clockwise for about a minute, then do the same in the opposite direction. Exercises help the eye muscles operate more flexibly while reducing the feeling of tightness around the eyes.
Look at figure 8
Children imagine a horizontal figure 8 about 2-3 m in front of them. Use your eyes to move along the outline of the image for about 30 seconds in one direction, then change direction. This is an eye movement exercise that can help some children feel more relaxed after long periods of studying.
Look close - look far
Children look at the tip of a finger or a nearby object for about 5 seconds, then switch to looking at a distant object for 5-10 seconds. Do about 10-15 times. Changing the viewing distance helps the regulatory muscles relax after continuous close viewing, thereby reducing the feeling of eye strain.
Thumb exercises
Parents guide their children to hold their thumbs straight in front of them at the length of their arms, focusing on looking at the fingertips. Then slowly bring your finger closer to the tip of your nose and then move it away. Continue moving your finger left, right, up, or down while your eyes keep track of the movement. The exercise can be done for about 3 minutes, repeated 3-5 times a day to increase concentration and eye movement coordination.
Switch focus of each eye
Cover one eye and focus on a nearby object for a few seconds, then switch to looking at a distant object. Do the same with the other eye. Exercises help increase the ability to regulate and coordinate the activities of each eye.
According to Dr. Thu, besides eye exercises, outdoor activities are one of the most effective measures to reduce eye fatigue. Many studies show that increasing time spent outdoors can help reduce the risk of myopia onset in children. Parents encourage children to spend about 1.5-2 hours a day on activities such as walking, cycling, playing soccer, badminton, table tennis or catching a ball.
To protect eyesight, doctors recommend that parents should let their children wear the correct number of glasses, maintain a reading distance of 30-40 cm, limit continuous use of electronic devices, increase time outdoors and have regular eye exams. When children squint at a distance, sit too close to the TV, frequently rub their eyes, have headaches, eye strain or cannot see the board clearly, parents should take the child to an eye specialist.
Trinh Mai
