BLINK EXERCISES

Blink Exercises for Dry Eyes

Over 40% of the population suffers from Dry Eye, please see our separate Dry Eye pages for more information. In addition to our other suggestions these exercises may also help symptoms.

It’s common to have a relatively shallow blink action, where you don’t fully bring your eyelids together. This means that the vitally important tear film is only partially spread over your eye’s cornea or contact lens; this can lead to dry eye signs and symptoms, affecting comfort and vision. The perfect blink action should be natural - the upper lid closes fully to meet the bottom lid, before opening again.

So try blink exercises - Imagine that you’re slowly falling asleep, with your top lid closing down to the bottom lid. If done correctly you should feel a ‘hidden movement’ of your eyes behind the lids. Over the next two-three weeks have a practice. Watching TV is ideal or using the PC and while practising, pause for a second before re-opening your lids.

Perfect blink action and increased frequency of blinking will help you to avoid abnormal/acute symptoms, especially if you’re engaged in long periods of concentrated close work such as reading or screen work. Looking up and around every ten minutes or so also helps. This improved action can improve vision and ocular comfort.

The only form of exercise you can do with your eyes closed – and less strenuous than the Gym!