Why is Blinking Important?

Have you ever entered a staring competition? If so, you may notice that your eyes seem dry and strained after. During the times we are not challenging our friends to staring competitions, we blink roughly 15-20 times per minute. That equates to almost 10% of our day is dedicated to blinking.

Keeping Your Eyes Moisturized

Your eyes need to stay coated with a thin layer of tears to keep them from drying out and to provide a barrier for any particles or dust. If your eyes stay dry for a long period of time, this may cause scarring and the possibility of eye infections as well. So, keep on blinking!

What Happens When We Focus

Imagine yourself deeply involved in a task and that the task takes you five minutes to complete. In that period, you blinked between 7-10 times per minute, which is half of the average 15-20 times per minute. When we focus, we tend to blink less because our brain is now directed to a different task. The more we become immersed in a moment, the less our eyes blink. Making sure to blink will be vital to sustaining the protective barrier that keeps our eyes protected.

Exercise With Blinking

If you suffer from chronic dry eye, then performing a few exercises may help. Some helpful routines include looking at distant objects, shutting your eyes for two seconds to recompose your vision, moving your eyes in circles or from left to right, and placing your palms over your eyes to release the strain of light. Becoming conscious of blinking may assist individuals with the decrease of headaches and cut down on dry eyes.

Stay calm, and blink on!