Eye-saving exercises: here's lookin' at you, kid: unlike the rest of our bodies, our eyes are constantly working from the moment we get up to the second we go to sleep. We ask more of our eyes than ever.

Put your hand over one eye for a moment. Feel that bony ridge that surrounds it? That's called the orbital bone. Its muscles allow us to blink, squint, raise our eyebrows in surprise, and show emotion. When those muscles become overworked, the pressure can lead to stinging pain, twitching eyelids, temporarily blurred vision, and headaches.

Surprise!

There are two ways to release pressure and strain from any muscle group--stretching and massage.

Raising your eyebrows like you're surprised is the simplest way to stretch these muscles. Lift them as high as they can go, almost as if you were trying to move them to the top of your head. This stretch can be performed anywhere at any time. Soon you'll develop the habit of keeping your eyebrows slightly lifted, which will go a long way toward preventing future cases of eyestrain.

While this first stretch works the upper orbital bone muscles, strain-causing tension could still be hiding in the muscles under your eye. To stretch the upper and lower orbital bone muscles, raise your eyebrows while lowering your jaw with your lips sealed--like you're stifling a yawn. This will gently pull on the lower and side orbital muscles as well. No one will know what you're doing, yet the benefits are immense.

For a more serious stretch, place your index finger just underneath your eyebrow and your thumb at the top of the cheekbone. Your fingers should now be positioned directly above and below your eyeball. Close your eyes and gently separate the fingers. Hold the stretch for as long as is comfortable. Move your fingers in toward the tear ducts at the inside corner of your eye and repeat. Finally, move the fingers out toward the temple and repeat one more time.

Muscle Manipulation

Massaging muscles is a great way to release tension deep within any muscle. There are two basic types of massage for the orbital bone muscles. If you have only a few spare moments, rub your hands together until they get hot (or place them over a warm cup of herbal tea). Then, press the base of your palm against the orbital bone and rub in a circular motion. The heat will encourage the muscles to relax slightly, while the rubbing will break up any stubborn pockets of tension.

If you have a bit more time on your hands, you may want a more serious and deep massage. Begin by rubbing your entire face. Make large circles over every inch using your open palms. This takes care of any small bits of tension close to the muscle's surface.

Using just your fingers, begin to rub the entire area around your eyes, temples, and cheeks. Now, take your thumbs and press them into the bony ridge at the top of your eye. Press hard enough to feel the pressure, but not hard enough to actually cause any pain. In small, tight circles begin massaging around the eye. Repeat this for as long as you want (I usually do this while there's a good song on the radio), and then begin performing the previously mentioned stretches. For even greater results, begin and end the massage with a warm towel placed over your eyes for a few minutes.

Probably the greatest benefit these exercises offer is that within a couple of weeks you'll have trained your body to a point in which eye estrain has become minimal or, in most cases, nonexistent. You should notice a significant decrease in red, stinging, or irritated eyes, as well as in headaches and twitches.

Environment Changes

Now it's time to make a few minor changes in your environment in order to eliminate many of the major environmental causes of eyestrain. First, don't watch television in complete darkness. The resulting contrast between the bright screen and your pitch-dark room puts an incredible strain on the eye. The same is true for a computer screen. Ideally, the light surrounding a screen should be at least half as bright as the screen itself.

Second, when working at a computer, there are several slight modifications that eliminate eyestrain. If you're typing while referencing a document, make sure it's an equal distance away as the screen.

Position your monitor so that you look either straight ahead or slightly down at the screen. This will allow you to use more of the surface of your eyes for viewing and translates into less strain. Anything that places less strain on your eyes is a true treasure.

Christopher Martin Havens is a New York City-based science teacher who--according to him--loves his work, his cat, and the Lord.