Have you ever felt like you blink your eyes too many times a day? We blink for three to five seconds without realizing it, but what is this body mechanism for?
According to an article by Washington Post, blinking the eyes serves to moisten and clean the surface of the corneas and is also a reflex to protect the eye from nearby objects. But in some cases, the same article details, a change in the number of times we blink can be an indicator of a health problem.
When our eye blinking is reduced this could be an early symptom of Parkinson’s. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that influences our ability to pay attention and several studies have concluded that the speed at which we blink is similar to the activity of neurotransmitters in our brain.
The lower dopamine, the more fixated on an object we are, and the less we blink our eyes. One of the indicators of the onset of Parkinson’s disease is precisely a reduction in the nerves that produce dopamines.
Other health situations such as a stroke or a head injury can also cause a reduction in the number of times we blink.
On the other hand, an increase in the number of times we blink may be linked to drowsiness. People who are subject to pain or are in front of a bright light may also blink more frequently.
This phenomenon can also occur when the eyes are dry, a situation that occurs when we are in front of a screen for a long time.
