Hello Dr. Prachi Agashe,

My 5 years old son has been blinking too much recently. Is this excessive blinking just a habit that he will outgrow? Or could it be due to some problem with his eyes?

– Mr. Alam Mohd., Kalina, Mumbai.

Hello Mr. Alam,

Excessive blinking in children could be due to any of the below eye problems:

• Ingrown eyelashes (where the eyelashes from the upper or lower eyelid grow inwards instead of outwards and cause irritation on the eyes)
• Dry eyes (the eyes don’t produce enough tears to moisten the eye surface causing irritation)
• Foreign particles (dirt, sand, saw dust, dried mucus, or talcum powder may cause discomfort)
• Corneal Abrasions (they are scratches on the outer surface of your child’s eye, called the cornea)
• Conjunctivitis (Also called Pink Eye. This is an inflammation of the outer transparent film of the eye – the conjunctiva)
• Allergy (this is often accompanied by redness, soreness,itchiness, increased tear formation and swelling of eyelids)
• Squint (where both the eyes do not look in the same direction)
• Refractive errors (nearsightedness or farsightedness where you kid may need glasses)

I would advise you to visit your nearest child eye specialist and have your son’s eyes examined. Only after your child eye doctor has examined your son’s eyes and found them to be normal, can we safely assume that it’s a habitual tic.

If it’s a habitual tic, then you need not do anything for your son’s excessive blinking. He will simply outgrow it.

– Dr. Prachi Agashe,

Pediatric Ophthalmologist,

Agashe Paediatric SuperSpeciality Care, Mumbai, India.

Ask Dr. Agashe is brought to you by Agashe Paediatric SuperSpeciality Care. We pick one parent’s question every month to feature in this section. If you too have a query about Pediatric Orthopedics or Pediatric Ophthalmology, do feel free to write in. Our child eye specialist, Dr. Prachi Agashe and our kids bone specialist Dr. Mandar Agashe will be happy to answer your queries for you. Please note that these suggestions are purely on the basis of the information provided. It is not intended to take the place of clinical examinations or investigations. Do send in your queries as comments below or via email at contactus@agashehospital.com