Frequent blinking? Be careful, it may be this eye disease...

Many organs in the human body have the ability to "self-protect", and blinking is one of them.

There is a thin tear film on the surface of our eyes, which is mainly composed of water, oil and mucus. It helps keep the eye surface moist and allows us to see things more clearly. When you blink, tears can evenly moisten the cornea and conjunctiva, preventing the eyeball from drying out, keeping the cornea shiny, and removing dust and bacteria from the conjunctival sac.

Some situations can cause people to "forget" to blink. For example, when concentrating on watching a movie, they may reduce blinking to concentrate; when reading, people tend to blink at the end of a sentence.

Additionally, stress and anxiety can cause you to blink more frequently.

It takes an average of 400 milliseconds to blink once, and most people blink 10 to 20 times per minute, usually around 15 times. If the blinking frequency is much higher than this, you need to be alert to whether it is a sign of disease.

Q

What situations can cause frequent blinking?

A

Foreign matter in the eye

When sand gets into the eyes, the eyes will blink quickly to squeeze the foreign body out; similarly, if the eyelashes grow inwards into the eyes, which is called inverted eyelashes, people will often feel like there is something in their eyes, causing frequent blinking.

Trichiasis refers to the curling of the eyelid margin towards the eyeball, which causes the eyelashes to grow in an abnormal direction. The eyelashes irritate the cornea, causing a foreign body sensation and tearing, and may also be accompanied by symptoms such as photophobia and repeated red eyes.

Inflammatory effects

Allergies, pink eye, conjunctivitis, or other types of inflammation can also stimulate the blink reflex. Some people also experience increased discharge, itching, and redness.

After distinguishing the specific causes such as bacterial and allergic diseases, you can use medication to relieve symptoms under the guidance of a doctor.

Vision problems

If you have uncorrected vision problems, you may blink more frequently as your eyes try to correct the blurred vision.

If you find changes in vision and can't see clearly, you need to check your vision and have your eyes tested in time. Through professional treatment and correction of refractive errors, your vision will improve and your symptoms will be relieved.

Dry eyes

With the increasing use of mobile phones, computers, online classes and other scenarios, the number of patients with dry eyes is increasing. Due to dry eyes, these patients often need to blink frequently to relieve symptoms of dry eyes and pain.

Those with mild symptoms can reduce screen usage, close their eyes and rest, or use hot steam fumigation to relieve symptoms. Those with severe symptoms need to go to the hospital's ophthalmology department for treatment in a timely manner.

Q

What methods can relieve eyestrain?

A

1. Remember the “20-20-20” rule

After 20 minutes of close-up use of your eyes, remember to look at something 20 feet (6 meters) away, preferably for more than 20 seconds. Blink more often while looking into the distance. If you often forget to take a break when you are busy, you can set a small alarm to remind yourself.

2. Play with your phone without turning off the lights, and don’t play with your phone after turning off the lights

Many people are used to using computers and mobile phones in a dark environment at night, as if the candy they get in bed is sweeter than that in the daytime. However, a dark environment is more likely to cause visual fatigue, so even if you use your phone before going to bed, you should at least turn on the night light. There is no need to save this little bit of electricity.

3. If the air humidity is not enough, use a humidifier

Although air conditioning is a life-saving tool in summer, it will make the environment dry and tears evaporate faster. If you use air conditioning every day, it is best to have a humidifier nearby to prevent dry eyes.

4. Apply hot compress before going to bed to relax your eyes

Using a hot towel or steam eye mask to warm your eyes before going to bed can not only promote the secretion of meibomian gland oil, reduce tear evaporation, and improve dry eye symptoms, but also improve blood flow around the eyes and relieve eye fatigue.

5. Wear contact lenses properly

Contact lenses partially block the contact between the eyes and the outside air, so after wearing contact lenses for a whole day, the eyes are easily dry to the point of suffocation. It is recommended to choose short-term contact lenses made of silicone hydrogel, with high oxygen permeability and a water content of 40% to 60%, preferably daily disposable. At the same time, it is best not to wear them for more than 8 hours.

The above 5 tips are mainly daily methods to prevent visual fatigue and dry eyes , but they will take a long time to take effect. For many people who have already experienced dry eyes, it is really "distant water cannot quench immediate thirst".

Many outpatients think that dry eyes are just dry eyes and can be cured without treatment. In fact, this is wrong. Dry eyes are a chronic disease caused by multiple factors . If not treated in time, eye discomfort may affect work and life , and as the disease progresses, eye complications may occur, causing corneal and conjunctival lesions and even affecting vision .

Doctors remind: There are many causes and types of dry eyes. If you experience symptoms such as dry eyes, burning eyes, foreign body sensation, visual fatigue, red eyes, stinging, increased secretions, itchy eyes, etc., you need to go to a professional ophthalmology hospital for treatment as soon as possible! And personalized and accurate diagnosis and treatment based on the diagnosis results can achieve the treatment goal.