How many times have you asked this question and never received a satisfactory answer? You may also have wondered, why do our eyes burn when we remain for a while without blinking?
Many say that winking is a human charm, which is very successful during a flirting, but the real purpose of the wink is not that. In the ocular region there is a gland responsible for the production of tears, called the gland tear, the tear produced by it is responsible for irrigating the eyes, a type of liquid lubricant. We blink countless times throughout the day to spread this tear over the entire ocular surface, this secretion allows a natural cleaning of the cornea. Furthermore, we sometimes blink as a reflex to avoid the action of external agents such as dust, preventing it from coming into direct contact with the cornea. When we spend some time without blinking, our eyes start to sting, as they need constant lubrication, which is why it is so important to blink.
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We blink thanks to a set of nerves connected to the eyes. There are two types of stimuli; the visual and sensory, which reach the optic nerve, send a message to the oculomotor nucleus, located behind the globe, which activates the muscles and makes the eyelids close. Remaining without blinking for a long time can cause several problems, including diplopia, that is, “Dry Eye Syndrome”.
If by chance you feel any changes in the eye region, contact your ophthalmologist to avoid future problems.
by Eliene Percília
Brazil School Team
Curiosities - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PERCILIA, Eliene. "Why do we blink?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/curiosidades/por-que-piscamos.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.