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Blinking is a natural process. One can't help but blink. Blinking keeps the eyes moist and clears the surface of the cornea and protects the eyes from objects moving rapidly past the eye. But do you know that the way you blink can reveal about someone's health problems?
The average adult blinks 14 or 17 times per minute. But doctors say that if a person blinks more or less than this, it means that there is something wrong in the body and it can also be a sign of a serious health problem in the body.
Parkinson's disease
According to the American Parkinson's Disease Association, a study conducted on the blinking of patients with Parkinson's disease found that they blinked less than once or twice per minute on average. And studies have shown that the rate at which we blink reflects dopamine activity in the brain. Studies show that when dopamine levels are low, the blink rate slows down.
A key feature of Parkinson's disease is the loss of dopamine-producing nerve cells. Symptoms of this disease include slow blinking of eyes and trembling of hands.
And feel like someone is watching you? Doctors say that this strange symptom is also a symptom of Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease usually occurs after the age of 60. But in some people this can happen even before the age of 50.
So if you blink your eyes more slowly than usual and have slowness in your movements and inability to concentrate on any activity, you may have Parkinson's disease. It is noteworthy that in the United States alone, about five lakh people are affected by Parkinson's disease.
Graves disease
Blinking less can also be a sign of Graves' disease. This occurs due to excess production of thyroid hormones. If the person is suffering from this Graves' disease, the person may experience mild tremors in the hands or fingers, weight loss, swelling in the thyroid gland, swelling in the eyes and jaws, and redness in the jaws or legs.
Graves' disease can occur at any age. But it is mostly common in women above 20 years of age. Graves' condition occurs in about one in every 100 Americans. This disease affects the eyes in half the cases. Additionally, people with Graves' disease often have extended eyelids. And the eyelids become stiff, causing less blinking.
A 2011 study found that people with Graves' disease blinked slightly less than healthy people. And they blink only 13 times a minute. But healthy participants blinked an average of 20 blinks per minute, the study said.
extreme fatigue and dry eyes
At the same time, frequent blinking can be a sign of fatigue. Additionally, the eyes blink frequently as they try to compensate for dry eyes. Dryness in a person's eyes can occur for many reasons. One of them is Sjogren's syndrome – an autoimmune disease. In this the immune system attacks the glands and produces tears and saliva.
When Sjögren's syndrome causes dry eyes, it can cause itching or burning and excessive blinking. Sometimes swelling also causes excessive blinking. Additionally, frequent blinking of the eyes may also be the motor tics associated with Tourette syndrome.
Tourette's tics may occur several times a day or even almost every day. Tremors usually develop in childhood, but subside over time. Many of them grow into adulthood.