What causes excessive blinking in children?

Allergic conjunctivitis (eye allergy)

Your child may experience signs and symptoms of red, itchy or watery eyes accompanied with frequent eye rubbing, and he/she might blink more to relieve the itchiness. 

Epiblepharon (folded eyelid)

Epiblepharon is an eye condition in which there is a fold of eyelid. It causes the eyelashes to turn inward and irritate the eye, resulting in excessive blinking. 

Refractive error (need for glasses)

Your child may be blinking a lot as he/she is seeing blur. Common refractive errors include:

• Myopia (short-sightedness)
• Hyperopia (long-sightedness)
• Astigmatism 

Strabismus (crossed eyes) 

Strabismus, also known as squint, or tropia, refers to the misalignment of the eye. Some children with intermittent exotropia (turning out of the eye) tend to blink more to correct their eyes straight.

Foreign body

A foreign body is an object on your eye that shouldn’t be there, such as dust, wood chips, pieces of metal or rust. It might cause corneal abrasion (scratch of the front surface of the eye) and triggers blinking.

Environment

Sometimes, changes in temperature or humidity will affect blinking rate. Forced blinking might also be triggered by bright lights. 

Habitual tics

Tics result from rapid and repetitive muscle movements. These movements could be triggered by stress, fatigue or boredom. In many cases, tics tend to improve without intervention, and often resolve within weeks or months.

What should I do?

If you think persistent or excessive blinking is troubling your child, you may need to consult an ophthalmologist who will assess and monitor your child’s vision and eye health. After the assessment, your ophthalmologist will advise you on how to manage the excessive blinking, depending on the cases. For example, eye drops may be prescribed if an abrasion or conjunctivitis is diagnosed. In addition, if blurry vision is the reason for the excessive blinking, glasses may be prescribed.