Scientists Uncover a New Purpose of Blinking Previously Unknown

esearchers from the University of Rochester have uncovered an intriguing new role for our involuntary blinking. Beyond keeping the eyes lubricated, blinking also helps our brains process visual information more effectively, according to the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Blinking briefly obscures our vision yet it occurs frequently – humans spend 3 to 8 percent of their waking hours with their eyes closed due to blinking. Researchers Bin Yang, Janis Intoy, and Michele Rucci hypothesized that blinking might influence visual processing in the brain and undertook a study to explore this phenomenon.

Using advanced eye-tracking technology in a controlled laboratory environment, their study involved twelve participants viewing grating patterns on a high-resolution monitor. Their task was to identify whether these patterns were tilted clockwise or counterclockwise. Blinking times were controlled and precisely monitored during the experiment.

Blinking during the presentation of these patterns led to significant improvements in the participants’ ability to correctly identify the grating’s orientation when compared to blinking before their appearance. This enhancement was due to the abrupt changes in light intensity or luminance caused by blinking, which may help reset the visual information entering the eye.

This revelation that luminance changes, rather than the physical act of blinking itself, enhance visual processing suggests that our eyes use these brief interruptions to improve visual acuity. Bin Yang affirms, “Blinks improve — rather than disrupt — visual processing, amply compensating for the loss in stimulus exposure.”

This study shines a new light on the important role blinks play in our visual perception beyond mere lubrication of the eyes.

Vocabulary List:

1. Intriguing /?n?tri????/ (adjective): Arousing one’s interest or curiosity.
2. Phenomenon /f??n?m?n?n/ (noun): A fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen.
3. Hypothesized /ha??p????sa?zd/ (verb): Formed a theory or supposition about something.
4. Luminance /?lu?m?n?ns/ (noun): The intensity of light emitted from a surface per unit area.
5. Acuity /??kju??ti/ (noun): Sharpness or keenness of thought, vision, or hearing.