Rest Your Eyes

Our experts say that it’s the best way to relieve eye strain. And that’s easier than you may think. “You can do it while you’re on the phone,” says Samuel L. Guillory, MD. “If you don’t need to read or write, just close your eyes while you’re talking. Depending on how much time you spend on the phone each day, you may be able to rest your eyes for almost an hour or two daily. People who practice this technique say that their eyes really feel better, and it helps rid them of eye strain.” (If you’re squinting at the computer screen, try these 5 solutions for your 40+ eyes.)

Pay Attention To Lighting

“It doesn’t hurt your eyes to read in dim light, but you can strain them if the light doesn’t provide enough contrast,” says Guillory. “Use a soft light that gives contrast, but not glare, when you read. And don’t use any lamp that reflects light directly back into your eyes.”

Try Reading Glasses

You can get them from your doctor or at the drugstore. “If you have good distance vision in both eyes but have trouble seeing up close, go to your local drugstore and buy reading glasses,” says David Guyton, MD. They’re commonly available, cost from $10 to $20, and are impact-resistant. (Find out about the new eye surgery that can cure your need for reading glasses.)

Under normal conditions, we blink our eyes about 15 times a minute. When staring at a computer screen, however, that rate drops to about half, exposing the eyes to more fluid evaporation, says Ted Belheumer, OD. “Being aware of blinking may help,” he says. If you know you’ll be spending more time than usual in front of the screen, post a sticky note nearby reminding yourself to close your lids now and then. MORE: 10 Things Your Eye Doctor Knows—And Wishes You Did, Too

Interrupt Your Work

“If you use the computer for 6 to 8 hours,” says Guillory, “take a break every 2 to 3 hours. Do some other work, get coffee, go to the bathroom—just take your eyes off the screen for 10 to 15 minutes.” Also consider working from a printout instead of reading on the screen.

Darken Your Screen

Those aren’t just letters and numbers on your screen. They’re also tiny lightbulbs that send light directly into your eyes. You need to turn the wattage down, so to speak. “Don’t make the screen too bright,” advises Guillory. “Turn the brightness down to a dim level and then adjust the contrast to make up the difference.”

Work In The Shade

When it comes to relieving eye strain, it’s best to keep your computer in the dark. “Shade your screen by creating a hood over it,” Guillory suggests. “Go to an art supply store and buy a sheet of heavy black cardboard. Put it on top of your screen and fold both sides down over it. That will allow you to slide it back and forth. What you’ve done, essentially, is put your machine in a black box. So now you can turn the brightness down to a very low level.”

Brew A Pot Of Eyebright Tea

Cool it slightly and then soak a towel in the still-warm tea, says Meir Schneider, PhD. Lie down and place the warm towel over your closed eyes, leaving it there for 10 to 15 minutes. It will make your eye strain go away. Be very careful not to pour tea into your eyes, though. MORE: 8 Weird Reasons Your Vision Is Changing

Insight With Yoga

For Schneider, yoga wasn’t only the key to gaining spiritual insight. It also was the key to simply gaining sight. “Yoga helped cure my blindness,” claims Schneider, who was born blind. He credits daily yoga exercises for helping bring back his vision, which he says is now 20/60. And it’s still improving. While it might be straining science a bit to say it cures blindness, some of his techniques may be helpful in handling eye strain. Try another sort of eye-hand coordination. If you want to help your eyes, Schneider says, you need to lend them a hand. “Take your hands and rub them together until they are warm. Then close your eyes and put your palms over your eye orbits. Don’t press on your eyes; just cover them. Breathe deeply and slowly and visualize the color black. Do this for 20 minutes every day.” Put your eyes “on the blink.” Your eyes have their own massage therapist—the eyelids. “Make it a point to consciously blink your eyes 300 times every day and not squint,” says Schneider. “Each blink cleanses your eyes and gives them a tiny little massage.” And it’s free. (Try these yoga moves for your eyes.)

Should You Call A Doctor About Your Eye Strain?

Sometimes the cause of eye strain is a lot more serious than just passing your 40th birthday. “Strain can also be caused by eye misalignment, where one eye starts to turn in or out,” says Guyton. “If that’s the case, the problem needs to be treated by an ophthalmologist who can suggest specific exercises, prescribe special prism glasses, or, if necessary, perform eye muscle surgery to realign the eyes.” All the experts agree that if you have pain in your eye or sensitivity to light, you need to see an ophthalmologist right away.

Panel Of Advisors

Ted Belheumer, OD, is a doctor of optometry at Troy Vision Center in Troy, New York. He has been in private practice for more than 30 years. Samuel L. Guillory, MD, is an ophthalmologist and clinical associate professor of ophthalmology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine at New York University in New York City. David Guyton, MD, is the Krieger professor of pediatric ophthalmology and director of the Krieger Children’s Eye Center at the Wilmer Institute at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. Meir Schneider, PhD, is founder of the School for Self-Healing in San Francisco. He is the author of Self-Healing: My Life and Vision and Movement for Self-Healing and coauthor of the Handbook of Self-Healing.