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Study: Incomplete blinks contribute to tear film instability

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Blink quality was found to affect the integrity of the tear film more than blink quantity, according to a study published recently in Optometry & Vision Science.

Hirota and colleagues evaluated 11 subjects with a mean age of 21.3 years and normal ocular health, according to the study abstract. They were asked to play a video game for 1 hour, and a web camera mounted to the visual display terminal recorded their blinks. Tear film break-up time and corneal aberrations were measured.

While the total blink rate changed little, the blink quality fluctuated, the researchers reported. Tear break-up time at 30 minutes was significantly shorter than at baseline. After 30 minutes, blinks became more complete. The tear break-up time improved after 45 minutes; however, the rate of incomplete blinks began increasing again after about 50 minutes.

“Even if the total blink rate decreases, the tear film remains stable as long as almost all blinks are complete,” the researchers reported. “Our study indicated that tear film stability was determined by blinking quality, and the predominance of blinking type relates to tear film stability.”