In today’s world, with the predominance of television, computers and videos, people of all ages are suffering from eyestrains. Driving a car and living in the city full of smog can be the other main reasons for the eyestrains. The common symptoms of eyestrains are the blurry appearance of the letters on the computer screen or in the print of the page, which normally appear clear. The eyes hurt so badly that you are forced to shut them for some time.

The most common remedies to cure this problem are:

• Take breaks from work: If you are working on a computer or doing any other type of work, which involves working your eyes at a close distance, then you need to take a break of about two minutes after every hour. By simply closing the eyes and doing nothing will give the eyes the much needed rest.

• Stop reading to refocus: If you are reading continuously, it is highly advisable to take a short break after every 30 minutes and look far away into the distance. When you are working with your eyes close-up, there is a muscle in the eye that contracts. When you shift the focus to an object at a distance, you relieve the muscle of its strain.

• Have a tea break: Using an eyebright tea is a gentle balm for the strained eyes. Eyebright tea is a mixture of various herbal material sold by the health food shops as a remedy for the eyestrain. Soak a towel in the eyebright tea. Lie down and place this warm towel over the closed eyes. Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes. Take care to ensure that the tea does not drip down into the eyes and should be warm but not scalding hot.

• Blink your eyes: Nature has given human eyes their personal masseur viz. the eyelids. Consciously blinking the eyes instead of squinting will cleanse and give them the required massage.

• Use glasses: If you have problems seeing but avoid using glasses due to vanity, you are bound to suffer from eyestrain. If your distance vision is good but cannot read up close then it is highly advisable for you to get a good pair of reading glasses to avoid eyestrain. If your distance vision is bad, use of glasses for curing eyestrain is highly recommended.

• Exercise the eye muscles: Stand at a distance of about five feet from the blank wall. Ask somebody else to toss a ball while you try to catch it every time it bounces off. Alternatively, hold your thumb at the arm’s length, move it in circles and Xs, bringing it closer or far away and follow it with your eyes. These exercises offset the damage caused by eyestrain and improve the brain to nerve coordination for enhanced vision.