Not long ago, Ms. Wang noticed that her 4-year-old son blinked more often than usual, and he often rubbed his eyes and had more eye discharge. She brought her son to the clinic, and after examination, she found that his frequent blinking was caused by conjunctivitis in both eyes. In contrast, 8-year-old Ming, who also came to the clinic with an increased number of blinks, was not in the same situation, as he also shrugged his shoulders and moved his arms, wrinkled his nose and crooked his mouth, and sometimes made strange noises and even talked dirty. His parents were very anxious and often reprimanded him, but instead of getting better, Ming’s symptoms got worse. In the ophthalmology clinic, we often see children who come in for frequent blinking. Under normal circumstances, blinking an average of 15 to 2O times per minute protects the cornea, prevents the surface of the eye from drying out, and prevents dust damage to the eye, but frequent blinking is a pathological phenomenon. The most common causes of frequent blinking in children are: 1. Inflammatory irritation This is the most common cause of conjunctivitis, keratitis and other infections caused by bacteria, viruses, chlamydia, etc. In addition to increased blinking, there are also manifestations such as redness, itchiness, increased secretions and tearing of the eyes. For children with frequent blinking caused by bacterial inflammatory stimuli, tobramycin or 0.1% rifampin eye drops can be used 3 to 6 times a day; erythromycin eye ointment can be used once a night; in severe cases, the number of eye drops can be increased (once every 1 to 2 hours). If the inflammation is caused by a virus use acyclovir or antabuse eye drops and order them every 1 to 2 hours. 2. Congenital inversion of the eyelid and inverted eyelashes Some children have congenital inversion of the eyelid (eyelid), which causes the eyelashes to fall back on the surface of the eye and irritates the cornea (the surface of the black eye) causing tearing. In mild cases, the eyelid can be gently turned out to its normal position and fixed by traction with adhesive tape on the local skin. Hyperactivity in children refers to the sudden, involuntary contraction of a part of the child’s body, such as blinking, nose wrinkling, mouth tilting, shoulder shrugging, inattention and other behavioral changes, and some children even make strange noises and swear words at the same time, which is medically called hyperactivity and obscene language syndrome in children. The cause of this condition is still unknown, but it may be related to psychological factors, such as mental stress and emotional instability. This disorder seriously affects the normal life, learning and psychological health of the affected children. Treatment is based on behavior modification, gradual induction and patient persuasion. Parents should cooperate with the doctor, do not reprimand or scold the child. 4, eye fatigue blink including visual fatigue such as refractive error, especially farsightedness, myopia, astigmatism is not corrected caused by eye visual fatigue and caused by a protective reflex, the child through continuous blinking can adjust the curvature of the eye, so that visual clarity. In this case, you should arrange your child’s study and life appropriately, and not spend too much time reading books and watching TV and computers, and urge your child to do eye exercises and get glasses if necessary. 5, neurological blinking is caused by frequent contractions of the nerve fibers that govern the orbicularis oculi muscle after being stimulated. Local massage and hot compresses can be applied, and oral sedatives such as Bachmann’s compound and tribromine tablets can be taken. You can also use neurotrophic agents such as vitamin B, inosine, etc. 6, habitual blinking Some children have a history of frequent blinking and still have the habit of blinking frequently after treatment. Other children like to imitate other people’s blinking, resulting in habitual frequent blinking. Parents should promptly remind their children of this and help them to control themselves. In conclusion, the causes of frequent blinking in children vary and so does the treatment, but as long as it is detected and treated early, the results are better.