Why do children always blink?

Blinking can be said to be a natural physiological reaction that every living thing has. Especially for us humans, eyes are the windows to the soul, so we must never be careless when treating our eyes. As for adults, they all know the importance of eyes and know that they should protect their eyes more and not rub their eyes with dirty hands to prevent bacterial infection. However, there are not so many concerns for children. Many times, children will rub their eyes with both hands when their eyes feel uncomfortable. Therefore, children's eyes can easily get infected. When adults discover it later, it is the child's menstrual period that is red or the child likes to blink all the time, which makes people feel it is very abnormal. So, what are the reasons why children always like to blink?

Blinking can make the tear film distribute normally on the surface of the eyeball, which has the functions of protecting the cornea, preventing the surface of the eyeball from drying out, and preventing dust damage. Under normal circumstances, a person blinks an average of 15 to 20 times per minute. Blinking too frequently is a pathological phenomenon. There are many reasons why children blink frequently. Parents need to observe carefully, make early judgments, and go to a regular hospital for examination in time to avoid delaying the child's condition.

1. Inflammatory stimulation

Inflammatory stimulation is the most common cause, which may be caused by bacterial, viral, or chlamydia infection, such as conjunctivitis, keratitis, etc. (Note: Frequent blinking caused by bacteria can usually be cured with anti-inflammatory drugs such as erythromycin)

2. Neurogenic blinking is caused by the frequent contraction of the nerve fibers that control the orbicularis oculi muscle after being stimulated. Treatment can include local massage and hot compress, oral sedatives such as Papanicolaou mixture, and neurotrophic agents such as vitamin B.

3. Childhood tics

Childhood tics refer to the sudden, involuntary contraction and movement of a part of the child's body, such as blinking, frowning, twisting the mouth, shrugging, etc., as well as changes in inattention and hyperactivity behavior. Some children also make strange noises, or even swear and use dirty words. This condition is medically called childhood foul language syndrome. This disease seriously affects children's normal life, study and mental health.

There are many factors that induce blinking, and a high incidence rate is an inevitable trend

1. Organic damage to brain tissue

About 85% of children suffer from frontal lobe or caudate nucleus dysfunction, including: (1) maternal illness during pregnancy: hypertension, nephritis, anemia, low fever, threatened abortion, cold, etc. (2) Abnormal delivery process: premature birth, forceps delivery, cesarean section, asphyxia, intracranial hemorrhage, etc. (3) Infants with central nervous system infections and trauma within 1-2 years of birth are more likely to experience blinking.

2. Genetic factors

About 40% of the parents, siblings and other relatives of children with blinking also suffered from the disease in their childhood. The incidence of blinking in monozygotic twins is significantly higher than that in dizygotic twins. The incidence of blinking in siblings is higher than that in half-siblings (same mother but half father, different mother but same father), and is also higher than that of normal children. The above points all indicate that genetic factors are closely related to blinking.

3. Other factors

Children who eat artificial dyes in their food or consume excessive amounts of lead in their diet (not necessarily to the point of lead poisoning) may also develop tics. The article is just an explanation, and there are many other factors that can also induce frequent, involuntary blinking.

Most children blink due to eye fatigue, allergic conjunctivitis, etc. It is recommended to reduce eye use, use artificial tears (sodium hyaluronate), and avoid talking or scolding in person.

Children are the top priority of a family, so we must not be careless when treating them, otherwise many unexpected things will happen.