6 Ways to Improve Eyesight Focus

Our eyes let us see the world around us, but that world becomes blurry without focus. Our eyesight focus can become skewed for many reasons, including eye strain, injury, and age. Fortunately, there are also ways to improve eyesight focus and reduce strain, including laser blended vision.

What is laser blended vision?

Similar to conventional monovision methods, one eye is primarily corrected for distance vision, while the other eye is corrected for near vision. But there is a significant difference: it fine-tunes the depth of of field of each eye individually, creating a customized fusion of the two images in the intermediate zone-the lend zone.

At Clearview Vision Institute, we use the PRESBYOND laser blended vision correction treatment to correct symptoms of presbyopia. We were the first vision clinic to introduce this form of laser blended vision to North America. As a leader in laser blended vision, Clearview Vision Institute wants to support our patients in reducing eye strain and improving focus. Here are 6 ways to keep our eyes on the prize.

1. Take 20 for 20

The 20/20 rule is important for office workers, employees working from home, and anybody who spends a lot of time staring at a screen. Bright lights and flashing cursors take a toll on our vision throughout the day. While laser blended vision will help ensure your eyes focus properly between the screen and the rest of the room, you should still give your eyes a break from time to time. 

Set a timer, or keep your eyes on the clock throughout the day, and try to take a quick screen break every 20 minutes. You don’t have to leave your desk for this. Simply, look at something farther away (other than your screen) for 20 seconds every 20 minutes. This forces your eyes to focus on distance and gives them a break from the up-close work you’ve been doing on-screen. 

2. Practice your visual figure eights

Reading, watching television, or staring at a phone screen all keep our eyes making short horizontal movements. Much like stretching your legs after a long car ride, consider giving your eyes a stretch with some visual figure eights. 

This exercise is especially useful if you find your eyes feeling tired or heavy throughout the day. Pick a spot on the floor or wall about 10 feet from yourself and make a figure eight around it with your eyes, returning to the same spot. Continue in the same direction for about 20 to 30 seconds and repeat in the other direction. 

3. Focus on your pencil

Pencils are great little tools for vision focus, even if you’ve already had laser-blended vision enhancement. This exercise keeps your near vision sharp, helping your eyes focus better on small fonts and other details. 

To do what is referred to as a “pencil push up”, hold your pencil an arm’s length away and find a small letter to focus on. Slowly bring the pencil closer to your face, all the while continuing to keep that one letter in focus. If at any point the focus fades, and the letter gets blurry, move the pencil back to its starting position and try again. 

4. Take an extra long blink

You may not notice it, but when your attention becomes focused on a task, you blink your eyes less frequently. This lets you keep your focus on what you’re doing or watching, but it could lead to irritated eyes. To remedy dry eyes from a lack of blinking, try to give yourself an extra long blink from time to time. Close your eyes and give yourself a full 2-second count before opening them again.

When we blink, our eyes are moistened, and small particles from the air get washed away. This helps keep our eyes from getting sore and irritated. The extra-long blink exercise should help you focus by making up for those missed blinks during the day. 

5. Warm your eyes with your palms

Much like other sore muscles, your eyes need a little TLC from time to time. Just as you would get a massage for a sore back, or use a heat pack for overworked legs, you can use warmth and pressure to improve focus. 

Begin by rubbing your hands together. The friction from this act will warm your fingers and palms. Now, press the palm of each hand over an eye, left to left, and right to right. Be careful not to press too hard, only applying light pressure against the eye. This should ease soreness or discomfort, and give your eyes an invigorating new look at things when they open again. 

6. Directional stretching

Now that your eyes have been warmed and your focus limbered up, give your eyes a good stretch. Directional eye stretches force your eyes to move in ways they might not naturally move throughout the day. This strengthens eye muscles and improves focus. 

To stretch your eyes, close them for 1 second, open them and look up, down, left, right, and close them again. Then, open them, and this time look around (moving only your eyes) left, up, right, down, in a clockwise motion. Close your eyes and try this in reverse, first looking right, left, down, up, and then a circular look from right, down, left, and up without stopping.

This exercise should be repeated two or three times for the best impact. If your eyes hurt, or feel strained performing this exercise, you are probably putting too high an angle in your direction. Relax your eyes and try again, without straining to see too far in any one direction as you go. 

Contact Clearview Vision Institute

Clearview Vision Institute is a leader in LASIK and PRK eye treatments in North America. We work with patients across Ontario, correcting vision and offering support for nearsightedness, farsightedness, dry eyes, astigmatism, presbyopia, and more. 

Interested in learning more about laser blended vision for better focus and clarity? We can help! We invite you to contact Clearview Vision Institute today at 1-647-493-6371 or visit us online to get in touch.