Blinking News and Research

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Media professionals show lower eyeblink rate than others, research suggests

According to a research conducted by Spain's Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and Universidad Pablo de Olavide in Sevilla, media professionals show an eyeblink rate lower than the rest, not only when they look at screens but also when they look at live events.

10 May 2017

Researchers identify biomarker that could predict disease severity in glaucoma patients

Glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness worldwide, most often is diagnosed during a routine eye exam. Over time, elevated pressure inside the eye damages the optic nerve, leading to vision loss. Unfortunately, there's no way to accurately predict which patients might lose vision most rapidly.

4 May 2017

Researchers identify genetic cause of rare neurological movement disorder

Researchers at the University of Liverpool have identified the basis for how a single gene mutation can cause a rare neurological movement disorder known as dystonia.

10 Apr 2017

New drug can reduce tardive dyskinesia in patients with schizophrenia, mood disorder

Antipsychotic treatment can cause involuntary movements such as lip smacking, tongue protrusions and excessive eye blinking. These movements typically occur after more than 3 months of treatment and are called tardive dyskinesia.

7 Apr 2017

Brain-computer interface could revolutionize lives of people with completely locked-in syndrome

A computer interface that can decipher the thoughts of people who are unable to communicate could revolutionize the lives of those living with completely locked-in syndrome, according to a new paper publishing January 31st, 2017 in PLOS Biology.

1 Feb 2017

Blinking prompts eye muscles to realign vision, new study finds

Every few seconds, our eyelids automatically shutter and our eyeballs roll back in their sockets.

20 Jan 2017

Better eye discipline may help reduce concussion in female soccer players

With the ever-growing popularity of women's soccer, attention to sports-related concussions is also a growing concern, as the act of heading the ball is thought to contribute to increased incidence of concussion.

19 Jan 2017

Sneezing elicits blinking response to protect the body from germs, says allergist

The changing weather brings about many things: holiday excitement, a different wardrobe and—perhaps most annoyingly—cold and flu season.

9 Dec 2016

Increased sensitivity to uncertain threat common to several anxiety disorders

Several anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, social anxiety disorder and specific phobias, share a common underlying trait: increased sensitivity to uncertain threat, or fear of the unknown, report researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

18 Nov 2016

Scientists discover new distinct eye movement

We probably do it every day, but scientists have only just discovered a distinct new way in which we move our eyes.

23 Aug 2016

New CBIT therapy can help lessen frequency of tics

When Dr. Laura Duda goes into an elementary school classroom, she can usually spot one or two children who have a tic - a rapid, involuntary movement or sound such as sniffing, blinking their eyes or scrunching their faces.

21 Jul 2016

Surgeons outline complete face transplant procedure in facial burn patients

Last year, the most extensive clinical face transplant to date was successfully carried out at NYU Langone Medical Center.

30 Jun 2016

New qPAINT technology helps develop more precise, less expensive microscopes

Knowing the exact number of molecules located at specific junctures in cells can be a critical measure of health as well as disease. For example, abnormally high numbers of growth factor receptors on cells can be an indication of cancerous and precancerous states; specific proteins located at the junction where neurons connect in the brain may affect brain function as they accumulate or disperse.

10 Jun 2016

Transplantation of periorbital tissues may be feasible alternative to protect vision in facial transplant patients

Transplantation of the periorbital tissues--the area surrounding the eyes--is a "technically feasible" alternative to protect a functioning eye in some patients being considered for facial transplant, according to a study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery--Global Open, the official open-access medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

11 Mar 2016

Using Single-Molecule Studies to Understand Cellular Processes: An Interview with Professor W. E. Moerner

Single fluorescent molecules provide a local nanometer-sized probe of complex systems. We can measure the motion of the single molecule, use them to achieve imaging on a scale down to 20 nanometers, or we can infer aspects of the behaviour of the object under study by the details of the light that is emitted.

From Pittcon 26 Jan 2016

Researchers draw link between visual acuity and rhythmic pattern in brain's electrical activity

"Blink and you'll miss it" isn't only for eyelids. The human brain also blinks, dropping a few frames of visual information here and there.

11 Nov 2015

New device turns paralysis victims' breath into words

A new device which transforms paralysis victims' breath into words - believed to be the first invention of its kind - has been developed by academics from Loughborough University.

28 Aug 2015

Researchers report significant progress in management of patients with dry eyes

Do you have problems with dry eyes? If so, you're not alone--it's one of the most common reasons for patient visits to eye care professionals. Recent years have seen significant progress in management of patients with dry eyes, according to the September special issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.

28 Aug 2015

More patients experience phantom eye symptoms every day, say University of Liverpool researchers

Researchers from the University of Liverpool have found that approximately half of patients who have an eye removed because of a form of eye cancer experience 'phantom eye syndrome.'

2 Jun 2015

Dopamine-producing neurons affect crucial brain functions

Nerve cells that produce dopamine for the purpose of transmitting signals to other cells affect numerous crucial brain functions.

14 May 2015