The closing and opening of the eyelids is a natural physiological process that occurs reflexively, that is, regardless of consciousness. Each person has his own frequency of spontaneous blinking, which increases with verbal communication, excitement, as a reaction to danger, fear, with a sharp change in temperature and humidity, bright light, the presence of a foreign body in the eye.
With strong anxiety and pain, the number of blinks per minute reaches 50–60, and during the period of relaxation, this figure drops to 20 or less. If the child blinks more often or constantly blinks, then in order to get rid of the problem it is necessary to find the cause of such movements and eliminate it.
The main functions of blinking are to protect the eyes from bright light, moisturize the cornea, remove dust from its surface, relieve eye fatigue. The time interval between the closing of the eyelids is from 2.5 to 4 seconds. If parents notice that the child often blinks his eyes, squints, blinks, rubs his eyes, raises his eyebrows, this may be a sign of a problem.
First of all, parents should find out whether frequent blinking in a child is conscious. A child of 1.5–2 years old can simply experiment with the facial muscles: when changing sensations, the expression of the face also changes. This is a development phase that passes quickly. Preschoolers of 3–6 years old and children of primary school age can behave like a game, an imitation of a fairy tale character, a cartoon, and the manners of a new acquaintance. Imitation is especially common in emotional, impressionable children and goes away within a few weeks, as soon as the child is bored with fun. But parents begin to fear that it will grow into an ugly habit, and try to wean the baby: they scold, shame, forbid ugly behavior.
This approach is pedagogically incorrect. The child begins to suffer from the realization that he is doing poorly, but he cannot change it in order to bring joy to his parents: after all, this process brings pleasure to himself. Permanent comments from adults focus the child’s attention on undesirable actions, which leads to anxiety and emotional stress. A harmless game sometimes develops into a tick - a state when eye movements cease to be controlled by volition.
If the child does not grimace, it is necessary to exclude the presence of a foreign body in the eye, which is not able to immediately wash away the abundantly protruding tear. A grain of sand, eyelash, or midge causes pain and a burning sensation, forcing the kid to make reflex movements of the eyelids to get rid of the irritating object. Thanks to blinking, the foreign body gradually moves to the inner corner of the eye, from where it is easier to reach. If the child is not helped in time, this process will be long, and the speck injures the eye, which can lead to severe redness, swelling of the mucous membrane, the development of conjunctivitis and visual impairment. Wash your hands thoroughly and try to convince the child to calm down, do not rub the eye, and allow to examine it. The foreign body is usually located under the upper or lower eyelid.
To inspect the lower eyelid, you need to attract the attention of the child so that he looks up, then pull the lower eyelid down. To inspect the upper eyelid, you must turn it out so that the mucous membrane is outside. To do this, the child must look down, and an adult, having seized the upper eyelid with two fingers, very carefully pull it forward and down, and then turn it out. The stirring object is carefully removed with a small, dense gauze pad, dry or wetted in a strong tea solution. On the street, you can try to remove the mote with a corner of a clean handkerchief. After removing the foreign body, the baby should look up and the eyelid will return to its normal position. The eye should be washed with fresh strong tea or sterile saline, which can be purchased at the pharmacy.
If during the examination of the eyes a foreign body is not detected, but the child continues to cry, constantly blinking and rubbing the eye; foreign body does not lie on the mucous membrane, but penetrates into the depths of the cornea or conjunctiva; after removing the mote, redness, pain and excessive tearing persist for a long time - an urgent need to see a doctor-ophthalmologist. In case of eye injury, care should be given to the clinic or hospital.
Frequent blinking may be a symptom of an allergy. In this case, tearing, itching and redness of the eyes, allergic rhinitis (itching in the nose and throat, sneezing; liquid, clear discharge from the nose; nasal congestion) are added to it.
When the cause of the allergy is known, you should avoid contact with the allergen as much as possible and take antihistamines prescribed by the doctor. If the cause is not identified, then it is necessary to eliminate possible irritants:
In case of allergies, excessive closure of the eyelids, like other symptoms, will disappear when the situation changes.
The remaining causes of frequent blinking in children can be divided into ophthalmological and neurological.
The following table describes the likely causes of blinking, their symptoms and treatment:
| Symptom Description | Probable cause | Treatment |
| Frequent blinking, occasional squeezing of the eyes when reading, watching TV, working with a computer and other gadgets with a monitor, in bright light | 1. Dryness of the mucous membranes of the eyes. 2. Tension, fatigue, eye strain | Recommended: 1. Optimization of temperature and humidity in the room where the child is. Use a humidifier. Moisturizing or tear-changing eye drops as recommended by a doctor. Daily visual gymnastics. 3. Drink plenty of fluids daily. 4. Reducing the amount of time that a child watches TV. Compliance with the temporary work norms for monitors and displays: from 10–15 minutes to half an hour per day for preschoolers and younger schoolchildren; no more than 2-3 hours per day for high school students. 5. Normalization of the daily routine. Breaks while working at the computer, outdoor activities and sports, walks in the fresh air, a sufficient amount of time to rest and sleep |
| Frequent blinking and squinting when reading books, writing, playing with small details, the desire to bring the book closer to the eyes | Visual impairment, development of myopia | Recommended: 1. Examination and consultation of a doctor-ophthalmologist. 2. Observance of a healthy lifestyle: revision of the day regimen, compliance with the norms of visual loads, sufficient physical activity, healthy rest and walks, proper nutrition, adequate drinking of fluids. 3. Proper organization of the space when reading, working at the computer: optimal lighting conditions, comfortable posture with a minimum of load on the neck, compliance with the recommended distance from the eyes to the monitor (60–70 centimeters) |
| Frequent blinking, sensitivity to light, pain, burning and severe redness of the eyes, swelling of the eyelids, discharge from the eyes (heavy tearing, mucous or purulent discharge), poor health | Acute conjunctivitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye caused by a viral or bacterial infection, an allergic reaction) | Recommended: 1. Appeal to the doctor. Self-administration relieves the symptoms and does not eliminate the cause of the disease. 2. Compliance with the rules of personal hygiene: do not touch the eyes with your hands; hands should be washed thoroughly with soap, use an individual towel and disposable handkerchiefs |
Why the child began to blink frequently with overall ophthalmological well-being, it is difficult for parents to determine. Studies show that frequent closure of the eyelids as an involuntary gesture is a symptom of a person’s unstable emotional state, anxiety or pain. In neurology, there are pathologies leading to such manifestations. A specialist's examination, diagnosis and appropriate treatment will be required.
Cranial brain injuries, damage and concussion can lead to increased blinking. Medical care should be provided immediately in the hospital. During attacks with various forms of epilepsy, frequent blinking in combination with involuntary reduction of facial muscles, convulsions of the arms and legs, impaired consciousness and other manifestations is characteristic. Treatment consists of anticonvulsant therapy and is prescribed by a neuropathologist based on the results of an electroencephalogram.
Blinking is a natural reflex movement. Usually, the people around them do not even notice this process. But sometimes parents pay attention to the fact that their child blinks his eyes quite often. Why it happens? Let's look for reasons together.
Noticing that the child often blinks, and at the same time also blinks, the parents either try to wean the child from the bad habit, or pretend not to notice it, thinking that the child simply grimaces. So do you need to worry about seeing such a feature in a baby? To understand whether there is cause for concern, you need to determine the cause of this phenomenon. It is not always possible to do this yourself; in most cases, consultation of a neuropathologist and an ophthalmologist is required.
If you are looking for the answer to the question of why your child often blinks and squints, first of all pay attention to whether the baby's regime has changed recently. The reason for active blinking and squinting often lies in the fact that the child simply gets tired. For example, such a feature appears in schoolchildren who sit a lot above books and at the computer. In this case, you need to bring the child to normal mode, to ensure that he rested a lot. If these measures do not help get rid of frequent blinking, then you need to look for other reasons, and for this you need to involve specialists.
Frequent blinking, accompanied by a squint, may indicate that the baby's eyesight has deteriorated. Make a note of your child's appointment with an ophthalmologist.
The fact that a child blinks his eyes very often cannot be ignored. Such a phenomenon can speak of a nervous tic. In this case, the muscles contract involuntarily, the child himself does not notice that he began to blink frequently. Even fast passing tics cannot be left unattended: they indicate that a failure has occurred in the nervous system. Nervous tics, which are expressed including frequent blinking, appear in children experiencing constant stress. The child may be worried about the relationship in the family or at school, the baby may be trivially afraid of something. Frequent blinking is usually manifested when the situation changes, for example, if the child first went to the garden or school. Many kids are very worried about the appearance of the second child in the family.
The fact that it was the nervous tick that triggered the frequent blinking was indicated by other symptoms: rapid fatigue, sleep disturbances, loss of appetite, irritability.
The treatment of frequent blinking depends on what caused it. When the neuralgic nature of this phenomenon is necessary first of all to protect the baby from stress, to teach him to cope with the experiences. If uncharacteristic blinking occurs as a result of the fact that the eyes quickly get tired, then doctors prescribe drops from drying out the cornea. To bury his eyes is possible only with the advice of a doctor. In order to save the child from frequent blinking, it is necessary to adjust his mode, reduce intellectual workloads, be sure to reduce the time at the TV and computer.
Having noticed that the child often blinks his eyes, parents will certainly want to know the cause of such a problem and how to avoid it. Lucky if the wine - fatigue or penetration of mote into the eye of the baby, which will wash away the protruding tears. But the reason may be much more complicated and you will need expert advice to solve this problem.
The newborn child already has an unconscious movement - blinking. This physiological reflex helps eliminate dust particles that cause irritation. Closure of the eyelids allows the tear fluid to be evenly distributed over the surface of the cornea, a tear moisturizes it, preventing drying.
There is an assumption that blinking is a reflex of switching attention from one process or object to another.
The frequency of blinking of newborns is 2-4 times per minute, this number is gradually increasing. An adult on average blinks 10-15 times per minute. But if the eyes are tired, the ambient temperature has suddenly changed or a foreign object has hit, the person starts blinking more often.
If your child blinks his eyes often, closes his eyelids tightly with particular force, squeezes his eyes shut, turns his eyes up and to the side, and this is repeated many times, this indicates that there are problems. Repeated blinking is observed in children 4-12 years of age.
The reaction of the parents is not always the same. Some prefer not to dwell on the fact that the child often blinks his eyes, thinking that he is indulging. Others, on the contrary, are struggling with this, insistently demanding from their child, to get rid of a bad habit. Erroneously believing that they will get rid of the convulsive movement of the eyelids and abduction of eyes by means of a ban, parents can achieve that the baby starts trying to suppress frequent blinking. This will have the opposite effect: there will be additional stress that converts frequent blinking into a chronic ailment. Both reactions are wrong.
If there are no physiological abnormalities, then everything will pass in a short time. But if the situation does not change, it is important to find the source of the problem and begin treatment.
It is practically impossible for parents to determine the cause of frequent eye blinking in children, so as not to cause complications, use the advice of specialists in the field of neuropathology or ophthalmology. Doctors will diagnose, find out: why the child often blinks and prescribe the appropriate treatment.
Earlier manifestation of tic (3-5 years) takes a longer time, until adolescence. With proper treatment in 90% of children, the nervous tic ceases by the age of 10.
Often children inherit this ailment after several generations of relatives.
For treatment, specialists sometimes recommend physiotherapy, baths with soothing medicinal herbs. There are courses for individual and group tick correction. But if all methods are exhausted, a course of treatment with nootropic drugs is prescribed.
It is important to adhere to a healthy lifestyle. Provide your child with proper rest, taking the necessary vitamins, and a balanced diet. Exercise should be moderate. Do with it a special gymnastics for the eyes, when referring to a doctor, carry out the recommended treatment.
Parents should certainly help the child psychologically. Be careful, treat with love, patience and understanding.
Do not disregard the obsessive blinking of the child, because you can not joke with your eyesight!
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Frequent blinking can be constant or occurring only occasionally, passing or turning into a chronic stage. In any case, it is important to find out what is connected with this unpleasant phenomenon.
If the child blinks frequently with one eye, it may have ophthalmic or psychological causes.
A child may blink with one or both eyes if:
Causes of frequent blinking with one eye are of an ophthalmologic or mental nature. To understand why a child blinks with one eye more often, parents may well be on their own, but often this requires an appeal to a specialist who will establish the correct diagnosis.
Therapy is not always necessary, even if there is a nervous tic. But this must be decided by the attending physician. Parents should, in order to prevent such pathology, observe some recommendations:
Blinking is a reflex process that most people don’t pay much attention to. But not the mothers and fathers of small children who closely monitor the condition of the baby. Sometimes they notice changes in this process, and ask the question: why the child often blinks his eyes, the reasons for such a phenomenon worry them most.
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If a child often blinks his eyes for no reason, the child should first be taken to a doctor: a neurologist and an ophthalmologist. Perhaps, in this way, the body signals the appearance of pathologies, the development of which must be prevented as soon as possible.
The frequent blinking of eyes in children is observed in various situations. There is always a chance that the baby is just indulging and trying in this way to attract attention to himself, or has come up with some kind of game, the meaning of which is clear only to him. But sometimes the harmless symptom hides serious diseases, the treatment of which must be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. Diseases provoking frequent blinking can be divided into several types.
Eye diseases in the modern world are the rule rather than the exception. They affect not only adults, but also very young children. There is a whole list of causes related to the state of the organs of vision, provoking increased blinking:
Sometimes a strange symptom is not constantly observed, but only under certain conditions, for example when watching cartoons. Why does a child often blink his eyes when watching television? In order to answer the question, you need to find out for what purpose the body makes such reflex movements.
Blinking is inherent in every member of the human race from birth. By performing a similar action, a person moisturizes the organs of vision and removes dust that accumulates on the eyeballs. Under the influence of some devices, including the TV, the cornea begins to dry out faster, which provokes an increase in blinking. To get rid of this problem, you need to use special moisturizing eye drops, sold in any pharmacy.
If the phenomenon is associated with impaired functions of the organs of vision, then the kid will need the help of an ophthalmologist. The doctor will assess the situation and identify the causes of increased blinking. He will tell you how to treat eye diseases.
When such oddities are found in the child’s behavior, parents most often associate them with eye diseases and lead the baby to an ophthalmologist. If this specialist fails to determine the cause of the phenomenon, the doctor's answer is: vision is normal, no pathological changes have been found.
Usually this calms the mom and dad, and they think that the child deliberately makes similar movements to attract more attention to his person. In fact, this is most often not the case. This symptom, inherent in most cases of eye diseases, however, may be caused by other causes. They do not lie on the surface, and in order to detect them, you will have to not only turn to the appropriate neurologist, but also look attentively at the kid himself.
Often the baby blinks badly for psychological reasons:
The last paragraph is worth a closer look. Tick itself does not occur, it is provoked by certain events and phenomena:
It is also impossible to exclude genetic predisposition. If one of the parents had nervous tics, then this situation can be viewed as an unfavorable heredity. In this case, the symptom will disappear over time independently, and there is no need to treat the child.
Another hidden reason for the appearance of various neurological abnormalities may be a lack of vitamins, especially magnesium, B6 and potassium. They are responsible for the stress resistance of the body. Their lack can provoke a nervous overstrain, and, as a result, occurrence of ticks.
Any neurology, including nervous tics, can also go away on its own. This opinion is shared by the well-known pediatrician E. Komarovsky. He advises first of all to find out the psychological reasons that caused the appearance of this disease, and only in case of a sharp deterioration in the condition to prescribe medication. Naturally, this does not apply to cases where this phenomenon is a symptom of a serious mental disorder.
It is important to know! If the parents began to notice any symptoms threatening the child’s health, then it is necessary to treat tics.
What if the baby started blinking often? First of all, get expert advice. If the problem is dysfunction of the visual organs, then an ophthalmologist will prescribe a therapy that can solve the problem. What exactly needs to be done depends on the diagnosis.
In the case when an unpleasant phenomenon originates on a psychological level, first of all it is necessary to find out the cause of the phenomenon. Do not ask about this baby - he just more closed in itself. Watch the child better: perhaps it is necessary to improve the situation in the house, or change the kindergarten.
It is also necessary to ensure that the child is often in the open air, sleeping for the required number of hours and eating properly. It should protect the baby from any manifestation of cruelty and violence, even from those that occur in television programs and computer games. Introduce your child to sports or together think up some hobby. So the child will be able to escape from the experiences and re-start to enjoy life. All the frightening symptoms also pass without a trace.
To avoid the appearance of nervous tics, it is necessary to surround the baby with the utmost care and love. But it is worth knowing the line beyond which you should not cross: remember that any person, even the smallest one, needs personal time and space.
