How often do you blink? Your answer may reveal great deal about the health of your eyes. Blinking is a simple and subconscious activity that involves opening and closing of the eyelids to revitalize and refresh your eyes. An involuntary action that takes less than 1/3 of a second. A person with normal eyesight usually blinks around 15 to 20 times in a minute. If you want to keep your eyesight perfect, do not forget to blink!
We are spending too much time in front of computer screens nowadays. When we are not working nonstop for hours on our office computers, we are spending time on our smartphones. Any time that is left is spent watching our favorite show or sports game on TV. When we are staring at screens, we tend to blink far less. Studies show most people blink only 7 to 8 times per minute, when they are working on a computer.
Let us look at some of the benefits of blinking to encourage you to blink more often.
Keeps your Eyes Clean
Blinking cleanses the eyes. Your eyes are among the most sensitive of your organs. Air pollution, dust and debris may seriously damage the function of your eyes and affect your ability to see clearly. Moreover, the buildup of sleepy dust or rheum that is constantly being produce by our own eyes whether we are awake or asleep, can also be damaging. Blinking helps you get rid of these irritants.
Moisturizes
When we blink our eyes, fresh tears are flushed over the ocular surface. Blinking allows the eyes to be coated with the three layers of tears. The innermost layer provides protein-rich moisture, the middle layer helps flush out any foreign particles, while the outermost layer keeps the tears from evaporating and provides oily lubrication between the eyes and the eyelids.
Gives your Eyes a Break
Even though a blink does not last more than 300miliseconds, it allows enough time to your eyes to get some much-deserved break, every so often. The cornea, iris, lens and retina along with various nerves work constantly to produce a high quality image. They need these small breaks to recuperate and get back to their optimal function.
Helps your Lens
The tears and moisture your eyes get from blinking help keeping the lens and cornea of your eyes healthy and clean. The tears prevent scratching of the lens. The frequent cleaning also helps your lens maintain perfect refraction. This brightens the image formed by retina. Hence, it is important to blink to have a 20/20 vision.
Lets You Gather Your Thoughts
Blinking has a surprising benefit. It helps your brain to function optimally. Your brain works constantly to process the information from surrounding environments. Blinking acts a mental resting point. It assists the brain to rest in between bouts of intense focus and to shut out the outside world, for an instance. Blinking may seem insignificant but it may be essential for your mental and emotional well-being.
Even though blinking is involuntary, to protect our eyes we can make a conscious effort to increase the frequency of our blinking. The famous 20-20-20 rule works wonders to rest your eyes during your work. Just add another 20 to it. After every 20 minutes of working on a computer focus at a point 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Do not forget to blink 20 times in that period. Blinking helps keep your eyes safe, so make an effort to blink more.
