Blink, Blink, Blink…

Did you know that your blink rate slows considerably when you are visually concentrating? We normally blink about 17-22 times per minute, but when we visually concentrate, we blink about 5-7 times a minute!  In other words, we don’t blink often when we stare or concentrate on our smart phones, tablets, computers, or watch TV, read or drive.  Sheesh…that’s like almost everything!

And to top it off, since we don’t blink often enough, the blink muscles don’t get enough exercise and become weak!  Great! So, even if we do blink, the blink action is wimpy…and wimpy blinks don’t spread the tears over the entire eye surface or rewet the tissue well!

And, if we don’t blink often, or properly, our eyes dry out!!  This causes irritation, scratchiness, blurred vision, eyestrain and even discomfort or pain!  All theses symptoms then can lead to a flooding of tears, that don’t stick to the eye and rehydrate the tissue, and quickly spill over the lids.  I hear “How can I have Dry Eye Disease (DED) if my eyes are wet?”

So… I want you to “train” your blink muscles to be blinking machines!  For most people, their symptoms will improve greatly with better blinking. Click the YouTube link below to watch a short video for the technique.  Then “train” your blink muscles for 20 seconds, three times a day….breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Happy blinking!!       http://youtu.be/JqVlJ906_Vk