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Question 105:
Do you know if constant blinking / squinting can cause damage
to the eye? I have several tics but the most frequent is extreme squinting
and blinking. It has started giving me dizzy spells and head aches.
I'm worried that I'm going to cause some kind of damage to my eyes
( or something else??) Thanks for any information you can offer.
Dawn, TX, USA.
Hello
Dawn:
I know that, in myself, an exaggerated blink that I do with my left
eye has been responsible for a lot of scratching of the cornea, and
possible permanent acuity loss. I haven't experienced the dizzy spells
you describe, but if your acuity HAS changed so that you now require
corrective lenses (or your current corrective lenses are no longer the
appropriate prescription), this could be contributing to the headaches
and even potentially the dizziness.
The finer mechanisms of the eye are beyond my expertise and purview
-- I'd recommend going to your optometrist and telling him/her what
you've been experiencing. Be sure that (s)he is addressing your particular
concern, which may require a little bit of "out of the box"
thinking on the part of this professional (i.e. you are not asking him/her
what typically can be caused by excessive blinking or by TS, but instead
what foreseeable consequences might occur as a result of the specific
tic you are outlining to him/her). If you don't feel that you are being
listened to, do not hesitate to leave and find a different professional
who WILL listen. My last optometrist was enormously condescending and
dismissive of me. She is no longer my optometrist.
Depending upon what (s)he says, you may wish to learn more about Habit
Reversal Training (discussed on various pages on this website; type
"Habit Reversal Training or HRT into the search box at the bottom
of the page) and use this technique to eliminate that specific tic.
Eyesight isn't something to play with.
