Why does my child keep blinking?
Excessive Blinking

Question on Excessive Blinking - My daughter is four years old. For the past one month, she has been blinking both her eyes every second. It seems that this is beyond her control and I notice that she blinks even when she is falling into her first stage of sleep.

I have consulted a GP and the doctor said it is habitual, and will stop with time. However, I am afraid this could be due to other causes.

Should I take her to a specialist?

Excessive blinking in children is common and usually benign. It is usually a form of habit tic that increases with boredom, fatigue or anxiety and reduces with distraction or concentration. The eye-blinking tic may last several months to a year and resolve by itself without any specific treatment.

Rarely, it may be due to an eye disease, especially if the child also has tearing in the eyes and sensitivity to bright lights.

If your daughter has other neurological problems, makes repetitive noises and sounds or if the blinking increases in frequency and severity, you should take her to a specialist immediately.

In rare cases, a brain tumour may cause abnormal eye blinking or facial twitching. Your GP or paediatrician should be able to advise you on whether further specialist evaluation is needed after the doctor has examined your daughter.