Published on July 27, 2005 at 4:42 AM
According to researchers from University College London, parts of the brain are temporarily "switched off" when we blink.
The scientists apparently found that the brain actively shuts down parts of the visual system every time we blink, even if light is still entering the eyes, and this goes a long way to explain why people do not notice their own blinking.
Davina Bristow, from UCL's Institute of Neurology, says that blinking is necessary in order to keep the surfaces of the eyes moist.
Bristow adds that as most people blink around 15 times a minute and a blink lasts 100-150 milliseconds, that effectively means that overall we spend at least nine days per year blinking.
What a blinking waste of time!!
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/