When regaining or maintaining good eyesight we always come across the most basic and simple of principles, things you wouldn’t believe you are leaving out of your life. There is a huge amount of information around improving eyesight, and you can learn this a number of ways, through books, seminars or kits…However, students have commented over the years that there is often one truly simple thing about the way they use their eyes that is a crucial turning point in changing the way they see.
I recall a student of a Vision Teacher in Toowoomba who remarked that one of the most important things she gained from her vision lessons was to return to relaxed, regular blinking. This comment really stuck in my mind as we think about blinking about as much as we do about breathing. Which means we generally ignore it! But blinking is a very important function of the visual system for maintaining relaxed clear vision.
Blinking does more than just keep the front of the eyeball in humid comfort, cleaning and lubricating the eyeball’s outer interface with each descent and ascent of the eyelid. A blink’s effects also go further, inside the eyeball. Here each split second of total darkness allows the retinal cells to ‘discharge and refresh’. They release previous information and are fresh and ready for new input at the lifting of the lid. This helps to reduce eyestrain and visual system energy wastage.
Blinking regularly is a sign of relaxation and positive energy which can help the whole body and mind find a less stressed state. Experiment with not-blinking for half a minute, and then blink every 3 to 4 seconds for a minute or two. Experience the changes in how your eyes feel and how it can affect your whole being.
Blinking rates can vary between individuals but the average is about twenty times per minute, or that 3 to 4 seconds. Notice how different blinking styles convey a different intent in visual communication. The non-blinking of staring contests indicating aggression are one extreme, the flirtatiousness of ‘fluttering’ eyelashes is another. Regular relaxed blinking indicates a state of friendly confidence.
ya I agree that Blinking plays major role for our eyesight & tht’s the reason tht why after sitting long time in front of computers , we feel tht our eyes are so tired coz while working on computer , we just forget to blink normaly
Frequent blinking do bring out deep breathing and that both go hand in hand. However, when too focused on nearwork such as computers, we tend to breathe infrequently as we should. How to enable regular blinking subconciously when doing nearwork?
This is a matter of becoming more aware of your blinking and breathing habits in general, and practicing both good blinking and good breathing at other times. Then the improved awareness and good habits can be brought to where they are most needed, ie at the computer.
Sometimes it can help to create reminders for yourself, a note on the edge of the screen (move it around so you don’t start to ignore it) or other triggers.