Why Do We Blink?

This week for writing we had write an explanation. We weren't given any boundaries except it had to be a how or what question. I decided to write and learn about something I had been curious of, Why Do We Blink?. This was interesting to research because it is something I do everyday. This writing was challenging but I enjoyed doing it.

Here is my writing

Blinking is repeatedly opening and closing our eyelids,

This may seem useless but it is very beneficial for our eyes. The average person blinks 28,800 times a day! That’s 15 times every minute and once every 4 seconds. Blinking is actually caused by a nerve which the brain sends a message to every 4 seconds so we can blink. Our eyes are very important because they provide us with sight.

Everytime we blink we are creating a shield protecting our eye from outside threats. Closing our eyes is blocking strange dust flying through the air as well as other particles floating in the air. Our eyes defend our eyes from bright lights. Blinking blocks the light stopping the possible harm. As well as protecting our eyes blinking spreads a mixture of oils and water over our eyes stopping them from drying up. Without blinking our eyes would get dry and dusty.

When we blink we are creating a funnel of oxygen travelling to our eyes. Opening and shutting our eyes blocks out harmful things but lets the right things in. The oxygen dissolves into the oils and then diffuses through to the cornea an important of our eye. The cornea is the clear layer over top of our eyes protecting the eyeball. This alongside blinking also helps to protect our eyes.

Even though we sleep with our eyes closed we are still blinking. Our eyes still need moisture when we are asleep in order to stop them from drying out. Our bodies may be peacefully asleep but the nerve from the brain to the eye is still active. Blinking while asleep cleans out any dirt or germs built up from the day. This ends up on the sides of our eyes and crusts in the corners.

Although blinking is very beneficial it can also be bad. Not blinking often enough usually from staring can extract the oils and nutrients from your eyes which can cause a strain, A strain can cause permanent eye problems.

Overall blinking is an awesome beneficial thing for our eyes and we are lucky to be able to have good eyesight. I have always been curious on why we blink.