Why blinking is important

Conditions that may cause frequent blinking include:. However, if blinking frequency is accompanied with other symptoms, it could be due to something more serious. On average, most people blink 15 to 20 times per minute.

This helps your eyes stay healthy by keeping them oxygenated and moist, and clearing out debris. While there are some conditions that can cause you to blink more or less frequently, a change in your rate of blinking is rarely a sign of a serious issue. If you notice changes in your blinking and signs of an eye infection, neurological symptoms, or a recent eye injury, talk to your doctor. In this case, it may be a sign of a more serious condition. Your eye may hurt when you blink for a variety of causes, but eye pain treatments can help.

Here's what you need to know. Have trouble blinking or closing your eyes to sleep? You might have lagophthalmos. Learn what causes this condition and how to treat it. There are many possible causes for a sore eyelid. If so, you could be sleeping with your eyes open. The feeling that there's something in your eye is a hard one to ignore. We'll go over the potential causes of this sensation and give you tips for….

The rewards gained through correct blinking are sharp vision, improved ocular health, reduced redness and maximum contact lens comfort. By monitoring your blinking in this manner, you will at first probably feel the muscle tension or pulling during blinking. In summary, most people do not actually have ideal blinking habits for contact lens wear.

This usually requires a two to six week period of regular practice followed by a reduced maintenance programme. These notes are taken from exercises originally developed by Donald Korb of Boston. Importance of Blinking Properly. Why blinking is important. Blinking Exercises The following exercises are designed to eliminate faulty blinking by substituting a fully relaxed and normal blink.

In order to relax the eye muscles you must yourself be totally relaxed and at ease. Throughout the exercise it is very important not to force any eye movements. A forced movement causes muscle tension, which can be sensed by the fingertips. Instead, the eyes should close and open naturally with a smooth fluid motion. The correct posture for the exercise is simple.

The head should be held upright and erect with the eyes directed straight ahead. But do not concentrate on looking ahead when the eyes are closed, as this tends to force unnatural eye movement.

The eyes should be closed slowly and gently, in a fluid motion, as if you were closing them to fall sleep. If you are relaxed as in step one, this should not be a difficult task to perform. The fingertips will detect any deviation from the correct closing procedure as unwanted muscle tension.

At the completion of the closure, pause for approximately a count of three. This will allow the upper lid to complete full closure. In this way, you will begin to learn the feeling of complete lid closure. Open just slightly wider than normal but this movement should not be accentuated to the point of a wrinkled brow.

In the wide open position pause for a moment. The timing of the complete exercise should be as follows: Blink….. The Ideal Blink If this programme is followed carefully, within a few weeks the partial, squinting blink will become a full, fluid, natural blink. Close your eyes. You should not feel any movement under your fingers if you used your eye muscles. After closing your eyes, pause. This step is important because if a blink is to be effective, the eyes must fully close.

You can quickly check this by placing a finger under your eye, right above the cheekbone. When you close your eyes, you should feel your upper eyelashes touch your finger. Once you have mastered the blink technique, you are ready to receive the benefits. During the blink, protein-rich moisture covers your eyes, providing them with necessary nutrients.

This liquid also cleanses the eyes, washing away any dirt or debris. Additionally, an oily substance is released which helps to stop this moisture from evaporating too quickly while also lubricating the eyelids to prevent chaffing.

How can all of this happen? Blinking squeezes the glands in our eyes that produce these liquids. So, the nourishment, cleansing, and the oily lubrication are a natural result of the glands being able to release this necessary tear film. But it only happens when the eye fully closes in a complete blink.

After reading this, you are no doubt cheering the benefits of the blink, but sadly, you may not be getting the full blink treatment. This is due in large part to our digital devices.

While studies have shown that people blink about the same number of times when reading on the computer screen or from printed material, the difference is how they blinked.