Blinking renews eye moisture by wetting all three layers of the tear film. Blink rates vary by activity. Reading, driving, and using screens tend to lower blink rates and dry the eyes. Actively engaging in conversation can increase blink rates. The trick is to blink more, yet how?
Here are our top tips on how to train yourself to blink more.
Blink now. Yep. When you notice you haven’t blinked in a while, blink.
Short eye blinking exercise. Close your eyes for two seconds. Open your eyes and relax. Repeat five times. And do this throughout the day, especially when doing low-blink rate activities.
Less than one-minute blinking exercise. Look forward and blink ten times. Repeat while looking up, down, left, and suitable for 50 blinks. Repeat at least five times during the day.
Timers. Set reminders on your daily calendar to do a series of blinks at least five times per day or every hour if you are on a computer/reading/driving.
Cultivate mindfulness. Becoming more aware of your body and mind can remind you to blink and condition your eyes.
Posted Reminders. If Low-tech is your jam, the old yellow post-its approach, with written reminders to blink set up around your workstation or room, can remind you to blink.
Apps. There are a variety of apps to choose from that send out reminders to blink; others include training, while others analyze your blink rate and use artificial intelligence (AI) only to send a reminder when blink rates decrease. See which works best for you.
Donald Korb Blink Training (Free iPhone App) – You can set blink reminders 3x/day with paced blink exercise training.
EyeProtect App (iPhone/Ipad) tracks your eyes and sends reminders to blink.
BLINK (Android or Bluestacks on PC App) – Sends eye-blinking reminders at intervals that you determine
Ergopax Blinkguard (Windows 10 [64bit] with AI) uses your camera to analyze your blink rate. It will send a reminder if it is too low.
EyeBlink (Freeware ) – Analyzes your blink rate and sends reminders to blink with minimal interruption.
If you still have dry eyes after increasing your blink rate, it may be time to stop in and get a screening test from our experts.
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