Eyestrain Exercises

These exercises probably help anyone, so take off those specks
or take out those contacts, and let's begin.

EXERCISE #1: TEMPLE MASSAGE

With the pointer finger of each hand, massage your temples (the side of the
head on the level with the eyes) in the depression that you will find
there. If you wear glasses, the depressed location is right underneath each
side of your glasses frame.

EXERCISE #2: NOSE-BRIDGE MASSAGE

Use the finger and thumb of one hand to gently pinch and massage the
uppermost part of the nose. Again, if you wear glasses, this is right under
where the center of the glasses sets upon your nose.

You may have, unconsciously, already been doing the above two exercises when
you've had a headache or sore eyes. Here's four more for you to try:

EXERCISE #3: FOREHEAD AND SCALP LINE MASSAGE

This is a tricky one. Place the ball of your thumb along the underside of
the upper margin of your eyesocket, find the supraorbital notch, and press.
(*"What?"*) In other words, press up under the eyebrow with the ball of
your thumb. Just under the top of each eye socket there is a little notch.
No kidding, you can feel it. This tells you that you've got the right
place. Press carefully upward.

Now, at the same time, take your fingers and rest them along your front
hairline (or where your front hairline used to be!). Draw the fingers DOWN
together, while drawing the thumb up, bringing it all together as you gently
mush your forehead skin in the middle. I call this exercise the "Boris
Karloff Exercise" because you feel (if not look) like the Frankenstein
monster in full forehead make-up.

EXERCISE #4: MID-FACE MASSAGE

Smile. No, really: smile. An upper line formed by your grin curves up on
each side towards your nose. One finger's distance out from each nostril,
right on this smile line, is the location for this massage point. The
facial nerve emerges from the maxilla bone at this point. After stimulating
this point, try a deep breath through your nose. Many people find that it
helps clear their sinuses.

So far, we have massaged, and relaxed, all four major muscle areas around
the eye. The eye can move in all directions because of the four
attachments. It is much the same control provided by a joystick in a
computer game or airplane. We've just relaxed all "remote controls" to the
eyes.

EXERCISE #5: CLOSED EYELID MASSAGE

One of my favorites, Close your eyes and lightly and rapidly stroke the lids with your fingertips. Back and forth, top and bottom lids as well.

EXERCISE #6: ACUPRESSURE POINT ON THE HAND

We're not even close to the eye muscles, but there is reason to believe that
reflex or trigger points operate throughout the human organism. Utilization
of such a point is in your hands, literally. With your palm open and your
thumb up, you will notice a ridge of skin between your thumb and a top
plateau that runs flat up to your forefinger. Take the thumb of your
opposite hand and place it over this fold of skin on top, like a tent. Roll
the thumb further over the side and you will locate a point about a thumb's
distance in. Meet your thumb with the forefinger and press together. You
have the point if you feel a wincing pain like when the dentist is drilling
a tooth. I hate going to the dentist as much as any one, but after
stimulating this point a few times daily I can take my glasses off and see
better than I should be able to.

HELPFUL HINTS WITH THE CHINESE EYE EXERCISES

1. Always stimulate points bilaterally. That is, be sure to do the points
with each eye, on both sides of the face and on each hand.

2. Your fingernails should be short to avoid hurting yourself.

3. Do not do the exercises if you have a good reason not to. It is
probably best to avoid using any pressure points while pregnant unless you
have first checked them out with your doctor or midwife.

4. One may generally do the exercises several times a day. I do each one
for a count of about fifteen.