Blinking the eyes is a reflex contraction of the eyelids that everyone has. This is carried out regardless of the desire of a person from birth and is considered natural. Normally, within a minute, the child makes no more than 20 blinking movements, moisturizing the mucous membrane of the eye, eliminating dust. But sometimes their frequency rises. The causes and treatment of frequent eye blinking in children are described in the article.
Why is this observed?
Frequent blinking of the child's eyes increases concentration. This will allow you to focus your thoughts to perform any action. Periodically closing the eyelids relaxes the nerve cells in the brain, which helps focus the gaze.
Child's frequent eye blinking comes from natural stimuli:
- penetration of dust and dirt;
- foreign body;
- strong wind;
- whenlong reading and watching TV.
Such a state should not lead to anxiety. If these causes are eliminated, the work of the eye is restored and blinking is performed in the usual mode. But there are situations when the frequent blinking of the eyes of a child causes concern in parents, then you should not postpone a visit to the optometrist.
Reasons
Why do children often blink their eyes? The causes of this symptom may be ophthalmic or neurological. In the first case, an appeal to an ophthalmologist is required. By visual and hardware research, the doctor determines the condition of the cornea of the eye, whether it is considered overdried. If this cause of frequent eye blinking in a child is established as the basis of the pathology that has arisen, the doctor prescribes drops that moisturize the cornea.
This phenomenon also comes from:
- microtrauma;
- foreign body hit.
Frequent blinking of the eyes in a child can also be of neurological etiology. This is due to the psycho-emotional state, which is disturbed when life circumstances change - the first visit to a kindergarten, school.
What does this lead to?
If a child often blinks his eyes and squints, then this can lead to the following negative factors:
- Visual perception worsens. If at the same time there is a deterioration in vision, a symptom of squinting occurs. The sign of blinking can be similar to convulsive squinting of the eyes. It is not worth treating this condition on your own,you need to visit an optometrist. If necessary, the specialist selects glasses.
- Dryness of the eyeball appears. This unpleasant symptom appears from the drying of the cornea. After using eye drops that moisturize the cornea ("Vizin"), you need to adjust the child's daily routine. There is also a need to limit TV viewing, computer work, and reading books.
- Severe eye strain. This is observed due to the fact that the organs of vision are given little time to recover, the norms of daytime and nighttime sleep are not met. Strong school loads in the classroom cause chronic fatigue and overwork of the visual apparatus, headaches appear, and this leads to the fact that the child often blinks his eyes and squints. Reasons need to be established for treatment.
- The cornea is injured. This is another answer to the question of what does frequent eye blinking mean in children. A foreign body can get into the eyeball - dust particles, villi of tissue, hair. Even after their elimination, a symptom of frequent closing of the eyelids occurs. This is because a foreign object damages the mucous membrane.
- Blepharitis. This disease can develop with the onset of a symptom resembling sand in the eyes. I want to eliminate this feeling, which leads to frequent blinking. This symptom with blepharitis can be a long time. It disappears a few days after the disease is cured.
- Allergy develops. Growing indoor plants at home is not always a harmless exercise. During flowering, pollen is able to penetratemucous membrane of the eye, leading to a burning sensation and severe itching. The eye gets rid of external irritants from the mucous membrane, which causes frequent blinking of the eyelids.
- Blepharospasm. This concept involves the involuntary contraction of facial muscles located near the eye. The symptom is similar to blinking, but is carried out in a pronounced form and often looks like a long blinking. This manifestation may indicate tuberculosis-allergic conjunctivitis, keratoconjunctivitis, trichiasis.
- Tics appear. To establish the causes of this phenomenon, you need to visit a neurologist. He prescribes the right treatment that will help eliminate the ailment.
Tiki
If a child often blinks his eyes and squints, this may be due to neurological processes. Often they occur naturally, which complicates the diagnosis. A nervous tic can be in one eye. There are 3 main reasons that lead to pathology:
- Psychogenic. A child can be very vulnerable, so stress can cause a similar ailment. The impetus for the development of pathology are conflicts in the family, quarrels with parents, heavy workload at school, a feeling of forgetfulness and loneliness.
- Symptomatic. They appear from transferred viral ophthalmic ailments, birth and craniocerebral injuries.
- Hereditary. Manifested in the form of Tourette's syndrome. Blinking of the eyes is not the only symptom. There may also be motor, vocal, or mechanical tics.
Whateverthe causes, diagnosis, treatment of frequent blinking of the eyes in a child must be carried out. This will allow you to return to normal faster.
Diagnosis
It is important to distinguish nervous tics from frequent blinking, which appears for other reasons. Tics can have other manifestations, for example, motor (motor) and vocal (vocal):
- Simple motors. They manifest as squinting, twitching the head, swallowing, grinding teeth, sniffing, shrugging.
- Complex motor. There is bouncing, echopraxia.
- Simple vocals. This is revealed in the form of coughing, whistling, snorting, grunting.
- Complex vocals. These are echolalia (reproducing words) and coprolalia (compulsive swearing).
Tics can cause not only eye twitching, but also other movements or sounds. The child is able to restrain the tic with willpower for a short time, but with a weakening of attention, the obsession returns.
In an ophthalmic disease, frequent blinking is accompanied by:
- irritation, dryness of the cornea, pain, discomfort, feeling of sand or a foreign body in the eye;
- reduced clarity or visual acuity.
Whatever symptoms prevail, the child should be taken to the pediatrician. It is especially important to do this if the signs are present for a long time, are pronounced.
What to do?
Please note that not all adult medications are suitable forchildren. They have contraindications and side effects. It is required to create a good-natured atmosphere in the house, which develops positive emotions in the child.
To do this:
- Build trust, avoid quarrels.
- Alternate mental and physical work, taking rest.
- Diversify your child's leisure time.
- Do not impose activities on your child that cause irritation and negative associations.
- Perform analysis of the environment that leads to a nervous tic.
- Exclude comments to the child about frequent blinking.
- Coordinate with teachers and closest friends so that they do not attach importance to the shortcomings of the child.
Therapy
There is no specific treatment for frequent eye blinking in a child. When the cause is identified, therapy is prescribed. Usually a correction of the psycho-emotional state is needed:
- If this phenomenon is due to overwork, then the daily routine of the day should be adjusted, paying more attention to rest.
- When the symptom occurs due to corneal dryness, eye drops are used. It could be Ophtagel, Systane Ultra.
- It is important to limit TV viewing.
- No excessive consumption of caffeinated drinks.
You can take medicine prescribed by the doctor. It is not uncommon to start treatment with small doses of mild sedatives:
- Novopassit.
- Motherwort tincture.
- Valerian tincture.
Excellent auto-training, which allows you to calm down and distract yourself from stress. You can learn it with the help of a specialist.
Gymnastics for the eyes
A set of exercises has a good effect (preschoolers should be offered them in the form of a game in which the eyes will be like butterfly wings):
- The butterfly wakes up. Eyes should be opened wide and closed sharply. Exercise is done until tears appear.
- Tears should be wiped away with the index finger, gently massaging the lower eyelid.
- The butterfly takes off. You need to quickly blink your eyelashes.
- A butterfly has flown away. Exercise is done by covering the eyelids halfway. When they twitch, stop shaking.
Massage
Healing, relaxing effect gives massage. It is performed on the face. The procedure should be done by a specialist with experience in the treatment of such an ailment. Facial massage should be performed according to the following rules:
- Movements should be slow.
- Start and finish with light stroking.
- All massage movements are performed along the lymph flow.
- Rubbing and kneading should not be boring.
- Don't use vibration techniques.
- You need to use a massage cream or gel.
An excellent soothing effect has a therapeutic massage technique on the scalp. This type of massage is performed with a flat comb. His technique is taught to parents.
How is massage done?
Forits implementation is necessary:
- Seat the child in a chair with a soft back.
- Stand behind the child.
- Comb parting the hair on the head.
- After that, you can do massage movements with your index finger.
- Stroking with one finger along the parting, and then making light spiral movements.
- Kneading is performed with a slight pressure.
- All massage movements alternate with stroking.
- Shock and vibration techniques are not used.
- After the cycle is completed, the next parting is performed, which is done with a retreat of 2 cm.
- For 1 procedure, you can perform 10-12 partings with a comb.
- After the procedures, the palms are placed in the forehead and back of the head and perform gentle movements similar to compression (5-7 times).
- When performing a head massage, ointments, creams, gels are not used.
What does Dr. Komarovsky think?
If a child blinks his eyes often, the causes and treatment according to Komarovsky correspond to the above information. According to the specialist, the disease appears from an unstable psycho-emotional state. Pathology should be treated if 3 days have passed since detection, and frequent blinking does not go away.
According to the doctor, it is advisable to visit a neurologist and psychotherapist. This will help to objectively approach the solution of the problem. The doctor considers the behavior of parents to be wrong, who believe that this phenomenon is a temporary whim or pampering.
According to Komarovsky, frequent blinking of the eyes in children depresses the mental state, lowers self-esteem in front of other children and complicates the treatment of pathology. The doctor believes that you should not focus on this phenomenon. This should not be done, because the child is able to withdraw into himself, withdraw from communication, and this aggravates the course of the disease.
Correct, he althy, homemade food plays a huge role. Nutrition should be rich in coarse fiber, include many micro and macro elements. The daily diet should consist of fresh vegetables, fruits, foods with vitamin B6 - seafood, boiled fish, poultry meat.
Conclusion
He althy, warm relationships are important, the doctor says. They do not injure the psyche of the child, provide an environment of peace of mind and well-being. An integrated approach will eliminate frequent blinking of the eyes in children.
