By Shen period, office workers have stared at mobile phones and computer screens for a long time, and their eyes are in a tense state, which can easily lead to asthenopia. What's worse, insufficient light or light from the screen that is too strong, uneven or flickering light, or too small, too thin or unstable targets will stimulate the eyes and aggravate asthenopia.
In this case, eye exercises are needed. By massaging the acupoints around the eyes, we can unblock qi and blood inside eyes, and nourish relevant nerves so as to eliminate the tension or spasm of the ciliary muscles.
Press Cuanzhu (BL 2) and Jingming (BL 1). Use the thumb to press the points in the direction towards the top of the head for ten more seconds before relaxing. It is better to exert force until soreness and distension are produced when pressing. The method should be repeated several times.
Knead Taiyang (EX-HN 5) in a circle. When massaging, turn hands into fists, and use the thumb tips to knead EX-HN 5 in a circle, 3 minutes each time. Do not use too much force.
Rub the eye socket. After the above step, keep the thumb in the location of EX-HN 5 and use the radial sides of bent index fingers to scrape the upper and lower eye sockets from the inner canthus towards the outer canthus. Generally, 50 times is appropriate. Do not exert too much force. Patients should have a slight sensation of soreness and distension.
Rub palms to warm the eyes. Rub the palms against each other. When they become warm, put them on the eyes and press the eyes gently, so that the warm sensation generated by the friction is transmitted to the eyes. The method can promote local blood circulation, relieve fatigue, calm the mind, and improve sleep.
Rotate eyeballs. Rotating the eyeballs can relax eye muscles and improve local blood circulation.
First, sit up straight, look straight ahead, and keep the head still. The right arm should be fully extended and lifted to the level of the shoulder, then move it towards the middle of the head in an arc without bending. When moving the arm, rotate the eyeballs together with the index finger, that is, rotate eyes to the right side, up to the top, then to the left side and the bottom of the eye socket.
The eyeballs stay in every position for one second. At first, perform this 6 times, then gradually add up to 10~12 times. After that, repeat the movement with the left hand and rotate eyeballs in the opposite direction. The more times eyeballs are rotated, the more the sensation of soreness the eyes will have, but when opening the eyes afterwards, the patient will see things more clearly. The effects will be more significant if combined with other massage techniques.
People can also relax their eyes by closing them or looking into the distance, or gently press around the eye socket with hands warmed from rubbing. After long-term use of screens or reading, people should relax their eyes for 10~15 minutes every 2~3 hours. When looking at things at close range, people need to rotate their eyes inward and downward. Therefore, to relax the eyes, they should be rotated in the opposite directions which mean the upper left and right sides. In addition, blinking the eyes 200 times a day is beneficial to clean and exercise the eyes and relieve asthenopia.
