My child blinks frequently, what could be the cause?

Many parents will observe their children blinking frequently during their growth. What are the reasons behind this and how to deal with it? This article will discuss it.

As usual, Dr. Jingcai promises that this is purely science popularization, no deception, no selling of goods.

The first category of causes: some eye diseases . Including:

-Dry eyes. The child's tear secretion or distribution is abnormal, and the ocular surface lacks tear moisture and protection, which will cause symptoms of dry eyes and sore eyes. In order to relieve the symptoms, the child will unconsciously increase the frequency of blinking.

-Corneal damage. Corneal damage caused by foreign objects in the eye, rubbing the eye, or minor injuries caused by carelessness can also lead to increased blinking frequency. Corneal damage is usually accompanied by eye pain and fear of light.

- Inverted eyelashes. Eyelashes grow in an abnormal direction, inverted toward the eyeball, which can cause irritation due to contact with the conjunctiva and cornea, and can also lead to frequent blinking. Regarding inverted eyelashes, you can read another article by Dr. Jingcai, "What causes inverted eyelashes in children and what are the consequences?"

-Conjunctivitis. Inflammation of the conjunctiva caused by infection or allergy is often accompanied by conjunctival congestion, which is commonly known as "red eyes" and obvious "bloodshot" on the "white of the eye";

For situations like the above, parents should take their children to an ophthalmologist for consultation and treatment in a timely manner.

The second type of problem: refractive problems .

Children may have refractive problems such as myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, etc., but they do not correct them by wearing glasses or other means. Children cannot see things clearly, which may also lead to "squinting" and "blinking".

In such cases, parents should take their children to the ophthalmology or optometry department in time to intervene in the refractive error.

The third type of problem is also more common: Tourette syndrome, also known as Tourette syndrome .

Tourette syndrome is not an eye disease, but it is very common in children, especially boys. In addition to blinking, it may also manifest as unconscious and frequent "winking", twitching of the corners of the mouth, a sound similar to clearing the throat, shaking the head, shrugging, twisting the neck, etc. If the child has more diverse manifestations in addition to blinking, parents should take the child to the child neurology or child psychiatry department for treatment in time.

Well, that’s all I have to say about the secrets behind children’s frequent blinking. If you find this article helpful, you are welcome to forward it to more parents. While helping them, you are also helping us.

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About Dr. Jingcai: The creators of Dr. Jingcai's popular science content all have a professional background in ophthalmology, a master's degree or above, and are former ophthalmologists. For some popular science content with a higher degree of professionalism, we will also invite working ophthalmologists and optometry experts to review and check it, striving to be responsible for the accuracy of the content and avoid misleading readers.