Natural Ways to Soothe Sore, Tired Eyes After Work or Study

Many people spend most of their workday glued to electronic devices. By the time work ends, your eyes feel dry, sore and strained. The most bothersome symptom is blurry vision. Sometimes when riding the subway, you have to squint just to check which station you’re arriving at.

I’ve compiled some eye-care tips to share with you, suitable for office workers and students alike.

1. Take regular distance gazing breaks After staring at screens for a period of time, stand up and look at objects more than 6 meters away for 20 seconds. This relaxes the ciliary muscles in your eyes and eases fatigue.

2. Close your eyes for rest regularly Shut your eyes and rest for 3 minutes every so often to relieve tightness around the eyes.

3. Avoid using your eyes under strong bright light Do not read books or scroll on your phone under harsh direct sunlight.

4. Rotate your eyeballs gently If you have myopia below 600 degrees, slowly roll your eyes clockwise and counterclockwise to ease eye fatigue. People with high myopia should avoid fast eyeball rotations.

5. Match screen brightness properly Adjust the brightness of your electronic screen to match the ambient light, reducing irritation caused by stark light contrast.

6. Build healthy eye habits Boost work efficiency to cut down unnecessary screen time. Spend spare time viewing natural scenery. Never use your phone with the lights off.

7. Herbal teas for daily eye care

• Dry, red eyes with heat irritation: Chrysanthemum + cassia seed tea

• Long screen time with dizziness and ringing ears: Mulberry + goji berry tea

• Eye strain plus insomnia and fatigue: Longan + red date + spiny jujube seed tea

8. Targeted nutritional food therapy Eat plenty of dark green vegetables such as spinach and kale, plus orange-yellow fruits and vegetables like carrots and citrus fruits. Add salmon, fish oil or flaxseed oil to your diet to get Omega‑3, which repairs the meibomian glands and reduces eye inflammation.

9. Calm your nerves and relax your body When eye bloating comes from anxiety, try meditation or yin yoga to stabilize your mood and ease pressure on the ocular nerves.

10. Eye massage exercises before bedtime These are the same eye exercises we did during primary school breaks. I used to do them with my eyes closed before bed back in college and found them helpful. I only practiced intermittently after starting work, but I’ve picked them up again recently.

11. Get sufficient sleep A good night’s sleep leaves you refreshed, and your vision will feel much clearer when you wake up.