Have you ever been in the middle of a staring contest and you feel like your eyeballs are going to burn out of your skull because you just NEED to blink? Your friend might have blinked first, but you eventually followed suit because not blinking just isn’t an option. The current world record for a staring competition lasted 40 minutes and 59 seconds (we do NOT recommend—there’s a reason that the winner is called Fergal “Eyesore” Fleming).
The average person blinks somewhere between 15-20 times per minute and it takes about 400 milliseconds to blink. Although there is no specific number for how often a person should blink, frequent blinking is necessary to clear away particles and lubricate the eyeballs. Blinking also helps prevent infection and clears your eye so you can have sharper, brighter vision. If you wear contacts, frequent blinking is even more important because it actually replenishes the tear layer that the contact lens floats on! Unfortunately, patients who wear contacts tend to blink less and have a higher number of incomplete blinks (meaning a lack of lid-to-lid contact). This reduced blinking leads to higher rates of red anddry eyes.
The Mechanics Of Blinking
When it comes to the mechanics of blinking, we can separate blinks into several different types. Involuntary blinks are spontaneous and subconscious, and account for the majority of your blinks over the course of the day. These blinks serve to lubricate the eye by releasing a tear film (water, oil, and mucus) that acts to keep the eyeball smooth and wet. These also help “blink out” any foreign body in the eye, such as an eyelash or dust particles. In addition to hydrating the eye, the tear film also supplies oxygen to the eye and contains enzymes that fight bacteria and prevent eye infections. When you cry, you blink more often to prevent tears from building up on the eye, which would cause blurry vision. When you don’t allow yourself to blink, your eyeball begins to dry out, which can actually feel like a scratch on your cornea. Ouch!
Reflex blinks happen in response to something external, such as a bright light, loud noise, or when something unexpectedly pokes you in the eye. Voluntary blinks are blinks you do on purpose—for example, digital eye strain or driving for extended periods of time can leave your eyes feeling dry and tired, so blinking your eyes a few times can help alleviate discomfort. Voluntary blinks can also include blinking exercises to relieve eye strain.
Although it looks like only the top lid moves when you blink, the process of blinking actually moves both the upper and lower lid together. The top lid does the biggest movement (opening and closing), but the lower lid does move upwards the slightest bit. A full blink brings tears from the tear gland and sweeps them across the eye like a windshield wiper. A full blink is necessary for the meibomian glands to release meibum. These are glands that line the edges of the eyelids and secrete oil that coats the eye’s surface and keeps the water component of our tears from drying out.
There are many different reasons you might need to blink more than normal. If you have an ingrown eyelash, for example, you may blink more frequently. Allergies, pink eye, stress, anxiety, tics, and undiagnosed refractive errors can also cause excessive blinking. A thorough eye exam will typically be able to determine the cause.
Blinking more slowly or less often happens as well, particularly if there is damage to the facial nerve that is responsible for closing the eyelid. Slow or infrequent blinking can also be caused by certain medications or if you’re hyper-focused on something (like a screen). This is why it’s particularly important to remember to frequently blink your eyes when you’re using devices so you don’t experience dry eye or eye fatigue. Research shows that we blink 66% less while using a computer. To combat resulting dry eye/fatigue, try the 20-20-20 rule—every 20 minutes, look away from your computer and rest your eyes on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Reminds yourself to blink while looking at your screen, and use eye drops if necessary!
Blinking And The Brain
Blinking does more than just clear your eyes! According to studies, people also blink to give the brain a rest! On average, humans spend about 10% of their waking hours with our eyes closed, thanks to blinking. This means that for 10% of the day, you are receiving zero visual input. How do we not notice? Our brain suppresses the nerve signal that tells us that the picture has changed so that the flow of visual information seems uninterrupted. According to scientists, briefly closing our eyes helps us gather our thoughts and focus attention on things around us. Interestingly, people tend to blink at the end of a sentence when reading rather than in the middle of a sentence. In other words, we subconsciously blink as a “resting point” for our brain.
What Happens When We Don’t Blink?
When you stop blinking, your cornea experiences a lack of oxygen from the tear film and begins to swell. Your eyes start to dry out, resulting in eye pain and blurry vision. Your risk of eye infections is suddenly much higher, thanks to a lack of oxygen and nutrients to the eye and an inability to flush out debris. Eventually, tiny particles would scratch the surface of your cornea and your eyesight would lose sharpness. The result? Irreversible damage to your vision and a tremendous amount of discomfort! Fergal “Eyesore” Fleming lasted 40 minutes without blinking, and compared the sensation to getting a tattoo on your eyeballs. No thanks!A change in your blinking pattern is rarely a cause for concern, but if it’s accompanied by signs of an eye infection (redness, burning, pain),schedule an appointmentwith us today!
Je, umewahi kuwa katikati ya mashindano ya kutazama na kuhisi kama jicho lako litakuwa limechoma kutoka kwenye fuvu lako la kichwa kwa sababu unahitaji tu kupiga kelele? Huenda rafiki yako alikuwa amepiga macho kwanza, lakini hatimaye wewe ulifuata mfano wake kwa sababu kutopiga macho si chaguo. Rekodi ya dunia ya sasa kwa mashindano ya kutazama ilidumu dakika 40 na sekunde 59 (hatupendekezi - kuna sababu kwamba mshindi anaitwa Fergal <unk>Eyesore<unk> Fleming). Kwa kawaida mtu hufupisha macho yake mara 15-20 kwa dakika, na inachukua milisekunde 400 kuifupisha. Ingawa hakuna idadi maalum ya mara ambazo mtu anapaswa kupiga macho, kupiga macho mara nyingi ni muhimu ili kuondoa chembe na kufuta macho. Kuangaza macho pia husaidia kuzuia maambukizo na kusafisha jicho lako ili uweze kuona kwa uangalifu zaidi. Ikiwa unatumia lensi za mawasiliano, kupasua macho mara nyingi ni muhimu hata zaidi kwa sababu kwa kweli hujaza tabaka la machozi ambalo lensi ya mawasiliano huelea juu yake! Kwa bahati mbaya, wagonjwa ambao huvaa lensi za mawasiliano huwa na kupepesa macho kidogo na kuwa na idadi kubwa ya kupepesa macho isiyo kamili (kwa maana ya ukosefu wa mawasiliano ya kifuniko-kwa-kifuniko). Kupunguza kung'aa huku husababisha viwango vya juu vya macho mekundu na kavu. Mifumo ya Blinking: Kwa mfano, unaweza kugawanya blinking katika aina kadhaa. Kufifia macho bila kukusudia ni jambo la kawaida na lisilo la akili, na ni sababu ya kufifia macho mara nyingi zaidi ya mara moja kwa siku. Kuangaza kwa jicho huongeza mafuta ya macho kwa kutokeza maji, mafuta, na umajimaji ambao hufanya jicho liwe laini na lenye unyevu. Hizi pia husaidia "kufuta" kitu chochote cha kigeni kipo ndani ya jicho, kama vile kioevu au chembe za vumbi. Mbali na kuimarisha macho, filamu ya machozi pia hutoa oksijeni kwa jicho na ina enzymes ambazo hupigana na bakteria na kuzuia maambukizo ya macho. Unapolia, unapiga macho mara nyingi ili kuzuia machozi yasijitokeze kwenye jicho, jambo ambalo lingesababisha kuona vibaya. Unapokataa kupiga macho, jicho lako huanza kukauka, jambo ambalo kwa kweli laweza kuhisi kama makwaruzo kwenye pembe yako ya juu. Ouch! (Kushangaa) Kufifia kwa macho ni athari ya kitu cha nje kama vile mwangaza mkali, kelele kubwa au kitu fulani kinakushika jicho. Kwa mfano, mkazo wa macho au kuendesha gari kwa muda mrefu inaweza kuacha macho yako yakihisi kavu na uchovu, kwa hivyo kupiga macho yako mara chache inaweza kusaidia kupunguza usumbufu. Kuangaza macho kwa hiari kunaweza pia kutia ndani mazoezi ya kuangaza macho ili kupunguza mkazo wa macho. Ingawa inaonekana kama kifuniko cha juu tu kinahama wakati wa kung'aa, mchakato wa kung'aa kwa kweli huhamisha kifuniko cha juu na cha chini pamoja. Kifuniko cha juu hufanya mwendo mkubwa zaidi (kufungua na kufunga), lakini kifuniko cha chini husonga juu kidogo. Kupepesa kabisa huleta machozi kutoka kwenye tear gland na kuyapeperusha kwenye jicho kama kifuniko cha kioo cha mbele. Kinywa kikamilifu ni muhimu kwa tezi za meibomian kutolewa meibum. Hizi ni tezi ambazo hufunika pembe za paji la macho na kutoa mafuta ambayo hufunika uso wa jicho na kuzuia sehemu ya maji ya machozi yetu isikauke. Kuna sababu nyingi tofauti-tofauti ambazo huenda ukahitaji kupiga macho mara nyingi kuliko kawaida. Kwa mfano, ikiwa una manyoya yaliyoingia ndani ya jicho lako, huenda ukapeperusha mara nyingi zaidi. Madhara ya mzio, jicho la rangi ya waridi, mkazo, wasiwasi, tics, na makosa ya kupotosha yasiyojulikana yanaweza pia kusababisha kung'aa kupita kiasi. Kwa kawaida uchunguzi wa kina wa macho utaweza kuamua kisababishi. Kwa mfano, mtu anaweza kupiga macho kwa kasi au mara chache, hasa ikiwa kuna uharibifu wa neva ya uso inayohusika na kufungwa kwa kiwiko. Kupeperusha polepole au mara chache pia kunaweza kusababishwa na dawa fulani au ikiwa unazingatia sana kitu fulani (kama skrini). Hii ni kwa nini ni muhimu hasa kukumbuka mara kwa mara blink macho yako wakati wewe ni kutumia vifaa hivyo huna uzoefu macho kavu au macho uchovu. Utafiti unaonyesha kwamba watu hufupisha macho yao kwa asilimia 66 wakati wa kutumia kompyuta. Ili kupunguza uchovu wa macho, jaribu kufuata kanuni ya 20-20-20: kila baada ya dakika 20, angalia mbali na kompyuta yako na ukamtazame kitu kilicho umbali wa mita 20 kwa sekunde 20. Kujikumbusha kupiga macho unapoangalia skrini yako, na kutumia matone ya macho ikiwa ni lazima! Blinking And The Brain Blinking hufanya zaidi ya tu kusafisha macho yako! Kulingana na uchunguzi, watu pia hunyesha macho ili kuifanya ubongo wapumzike! Kwa wastani, watu hutumia karibu 10% ya masaa yao ya kuamka na macho yetu yamefungwa, shukrani kwa kupiga macho. Hii inamaanisha kwamba kwa asilimia 10 ya siku, unapata zero input ya kuona. Kwa nini hatuoni? Ubongo wetu huficha ishara ya neva ambayo inatuambia kwamba picha imebadilika ili mtiririko wa habari za kuona uonekane kuwa haujakatizwa. Wanasayansi wanasema kwamba kufungua macho kwa muda mfupi husaidia kukusanya mawazo na kukazia fikira mambo yanayozunguka. Kwa mfano, watu huficha macho yao wakati wa kusoma, badala ya wakati wa kusomea. Kwa maneno mengine, sisi subconsciously blink kama "mahali pa kupumzika" kwa ubongo wetu. Ni Nini Hutokea Tunapokosa Kupepesa? Unapoacha kung'aa, cornea yako hupata upungufu wa oksijeni kutoka kwa filamu ya machozi na huanza kuvimba. Macho yako huanza kukauka, na kusababisha maumivu ya macho na kuona vibaya. Hatari ya maambukizi ya jicho ni kubwa kwa sababu ya ukosefu wa oksijeni na virutubisho kwa jicho na kutokuwa na uwezo wa kuondoa uchafu. Mwishowe, chembe ndogo-ndogo zaweza kukwaruza pembe za pembe za macho na uwezo wako wa kuona upoteze. Matokeo yakawa nini? Uharibifu usioweza kurekebishwa wa maono yako na hali mbaya sana ya kutoelewana! "Fergal Fleming, ambaye aliishi miaka 40 bila kupiga macho, alisema: ""Nilikuwa na furaha sana." Hapana asante!Mabadiliko katika muundo wako wa blinking ni mara chache sababu ya wasiwasi, lakini kama ni pamoja na ishara ya maambukizo ya jicho (kujisajisi, kuchoma, maumivu), ratiba ya miadi na sisi leo!