FAQ's

Q: What does it mean when my child blinks frequently?

Frequent blinking in children is quite common and usually benign. A child may begin to have rapid bouts of blinking or even forceful squeezing shut of the eyes. Some children also roll their eyes around. The behavior frequently becomes a habit which only gets worse as parents point it out.

The most common reason for this blinking behavior is dryness of the eyes which frequently occurs in the late fall/ early winter when the heat is turned on. Another common reason is dryness of the eyes as a result of the child staring at the television or reading intently without regular blinking. Other causes include eye allergies, a foreign body in the eye, or a corneal abrasion. However in these cases, the eye is usually also teary and/or somewhat red. Rare causes of blinking would be a refractive error in one or both eyes or a neurological condition.

If your child begins to blink repetitively, try to keep track of when and where this behavior occurs. Also, assess whether or not the eyes appear to be red, swollen, or inflamed in any way. You can try some over the counter artificial tear drops (one to two drops in each eye twice a day) for a week to see if this improves the blinking. Should you have continued concerns, you should call to schedule an appointment.

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