Treatment

Excessive Blinking: Causes and Treatment

MICHAEL COLE, OD Child and Family Eye Care Center

DID YOU KNOW THAT you probably blink more than 1,000 times per hour? Most likely, while we are awake, each of us blinks more often than we breathe. This involuntary action plays an important role in vision and eye health. Blinking serves to refresh the tears across the fragile ocular surface and remove debris and irritants, which keeps the eye clean and moist. Because we blink so often and without thought, we are rarely aware when we do it ourselves or when others around us blink. However, when someone blinks abnormally, we tend to notice right away. Parents often inquire why their child seems to blink too often or too forcefully.

Often children with binocular vision deficits will forcefully blink more often than normal. If our two eyes are having trouble working together as a team, the two images created by each eye will drift apart causing overlapping or double vision. If we are struggling to keep our eyes in focus at a certain distance, it may get blurry and our eyes search to find the correct viewing distance. Adults often unknowingly blink an extra time when shifting angles of gaze or viewing distance. Think of the extra blink as a way for your brain to “let go” of our object of attention and allow other parts of the brain to search for the new visual target to attend to. The act of blinking helps to “reset” the visual system, allowing the eyes to attempt proper alignment and focus anew. If a child is blinking more often than normal, their visual system may be stuck in “search” mode — constantly feeling the need to readjust their vision to achieve proper results. When evaluating children for possible causes of frequent blinking, a thorough investigation of binocular vision is imperative.

Another possible reason for excessive blinking is ocular surface irritation. The surface of the eyes has a very unique and specific configuration to allow for good vision, infection control, and comfort of the tissues exposed to the air and environment around us. Any situation or pathology that disturbs the delicate ocular surface leads to pain, foreign body sensation, itchiness, and even poor vision. When the ocular surface is inflamed, the brain receives feedback alerting it to the situation. The body’s response is increased tear production and blinking to flush out the offending irritant and rehydrate the ocular surface. Ocular surface irritation can occur for many reasons, and a thorough examination by your eye doctor can help determine the problem and prescribe proper treatment. One quick note on that: Please don’t treat red/irritated eyes with redness relief drops. Although they may temporarily make the eyes whiter, they won’t fix the problem!

Injuries of the ocular surface are likewise a possible concern when evaluating excessive blinking. Even a very small scratch or defect in the cornea causes the feeling that something is in the eye, leading to the need to blink excessively. Because we as parents may not know if a minor injury has occurred without our knowledge, it is important to be evaluated by an eye care professional with the equipment necessary to adequately assess the structures of the eye.

Facial tics are also a potential reason for frequent, forced blinking. While more difficult to definitively diagnose and treat, tics do occur commonly, and usually do not present a long-term problem. In many cases they may fluctuate in frequency and severity, often correlating with stress, anxiety, and sleep levels. Although involuntary tics may last for years and possibly for life, most tics improve over time or eventually stop completely.

While blinks are healthy, essential, and expected, excessive blinking may be an indication of a problem that needs to be treated. For further questions, or to schedule an evaluation for your family, please contact our office.

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ROCKY MOUNTAIN DERMATOLOGY WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE THE NEWEST ADDITION TO OUR ALL-STAR LINEUP OF AMAZING DERMATOLOGY PROVIDERS.

Theresa Helsel MS, PA-C

Bachelor of Science – Brigham Young University Master of Science – University of Florida Master’s in Physician Assistant Studies – Nova Southeastern University

COMPASSIONATE • COMPETENT • CARING

In addition to an extensive background in dermatology (8 years), Theresa has worked as an adjunct professor designing dermatology curriculum at Advent Health University, and a high school AP anatomy/biology teacher while coaching the track and field team. She has multiple degrees in Health and Human Performance, Exercise and Sports Science and of course her degree in Physician Assistant Studies. Along the path of enhancing her educational and teaching career, she has served as a Girls on the Run Coach, mentoring and empowering young girls through her love of running, and served on the medical staff at Camp Discovery, a summer camp for kids with cronic skin conditions. the prestigious Sand Lake Dermatology in Orlando Florida where she honed her skills in both general and cosmetic dermatology. However, she fell in love with Utah while a student at Brigham Young University and for years sought an opportunity to return.

So, it is with great pleasure that we welcome Theresa Helsel to the Rocky Mountain Dermatology Family.