Eye on squinting

SQUINTING, a common practice among computer users, can help bring on the dry eye syndrome and the irritating symptoms that come with it. Researchers said the irritation might occur because when people squint to reduce glare, for example, or to try to bring type into better focus they appear to blink less often, putting strain on the eye. For this study, the researchers hooked small electrodes to the lower eyelids of 10 volunteers. The electrodes measured the activity of a muscle involved in both squinting and blinking. The volunteers were then asked to squint while looking at a computer display. When they did, the researchers found they blinked half as often. They also reported more eye problems like dryness and tearing, the researchers said. The strain can be brought on by other reading, as well. The researchers, led by Dr James E. Sheedy of the Ohio State University College of Optometry in the US, pointed to earlier work that found that people blinked 22 times a minute when relaxed, 10 times while reading a book and seven times while viewing text on a computer screen.