Utah: Eye Exercises You Need to Try for Better Vision

Keeping your eyeballs round seems like a positive for our vision. I've heard about eye exercises to help maintain the original round shape of your eyeballs. Makes sense, right? After all, we don’t call them “eye ovals.” Ok, maybe that’s oversimplifying things, but these exercises involve using your peripheral vision by looking all the way to the right, left, up, and down—and yes, even going cross-eyed.

There’s been a lot of back and forth on this. Some people say these exercises don’t help, while others insist they do. I’m not an ophthalmologist (nor do I play one on TV), but I have noticed an improvement in my vision when I take the time to do these exercises. Quick side note and a warning: if you haven’t tried them before, they might cause mild discomfort, like working out any muscle. And word to the wise—don’t overdo it. Build up gradually to longer stretches of looking sideways, even if you’re the gym-goer who loves to max out every session.

Side note and a warning: they might cause mild discomfort, like working out any muscle. Side, side note—don’t overdo it. Build up gradually to longer stretches of looking sideways, even if you’re the gym member who loves to max out every session.

Another great exercise is focusing on something far away, then drawing your focus to something close. This helps activate your focus muscles. This one is harder to overdo for me, but it can still cause some discomfort if I do too many reps. Again, I’ve found that with time, I can increase the intensity gradually.

Do as many sets as you’re comfortable with, then give your eyes a break by closing them and gently resting your hands over them. I find this helps things come into focus better. I still need reading glasses, but I’m holding steady at a +1.

So where did these quirky exercises come from? Well, my brother has amblyopia—more commonly known as lazy eye—and I remember going to his doctor visits and overhearing the advice the doctor gave him. I don’t know if these exercises work for every type of eye condition, but I thought I’d try them, and they’ve helped me, especially when I’m feeling tired.

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With any eye exercise, take it easy. Gentle practice in short stints throughout the day has worked best for me.

I hope this helps—and maybe next time you read this, you’ll be able to do it without your reading glasses.