Study: Blinking is a way to ensure clear vision

It is widely believed that blinking is necessary to cleanse the eyes. Without denying this, scientists believe that in fact the benefits of it are not limited to just hydration.

Brain and cognitive function researchers from the University of Rochester (USA), tells MedicalXpress states that blinking is also a means of maintaining concentration and sharpness of vision.

The results of their work published in the scientific journal PNAS. They convincingly prove that blinking not only moisturizes the eyes, additionally cleanses their surface from dust and other contaminants, but helps maintain clarity of vision, because it is a stage in the information processing process.

Researchers have noticed that the average frequency of blinking in people is greater than the need to moisturize the eye. They involved 12 people in the study, during which scientists tracked the body's reactions to reflexive and intentional blinking.

The researchers monitored activity in the visual cortex, the part of the brain responsible for processing visual information. And they found that closing the eyes leads to a decrease in brain activity, but opening them leads to a sharp jump in the activity of the organ.

By studying the changes in eye characteristics during this process, scientists found that each blink increases the strength of visual signals. This process involves changing the intensity of light hitting the retina. Despite the momentary loss of information when the eyelids are closed, blinking helps maintain visual acuity by helping the brain process a constant stream of visual information.

Previous research has shown that blinking your eyes is also a way to maintain focus on a subject. Thanks to this process, the flow of information is divided into smaller fragments that are easier to perceive and process.

Scientists also recorded a slowdown in neural activity when the eyes were closed. This is thought to act as a guard against overstimulation.

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