In the Blink of an Eye

Why aren't people bothered by the interruptions to vision caused by blinking?

• The brain is designed to ignore very brief moments of darkness.

• Blinking relaxes people's eyes.

• Blinking removes dust that lands on the eyes.

• The brain can process information even when people's eyes are closed.

The section "Think Before You Blink" is organized in a way that shows--

• how blinking is afffected by the use of different electronic devices

• the various factors associated with blinking rates

• the different benefits babies and adults get from blinking

• which parts of the eye are responsible for blinking

Based on the labels in the diagram of the human eye, the reader can conclude that--

• more muscles are used to move the eye than to blink

• eye muscles are stronger than any other muscles in the body

• blinking provides several benefits to the eyeball

• blinking happens in a way that does not affect a person's vision

Read this sentence from paragraph 1.

"Blinking usually occurs automatically, like your heartbeat."

Which statement from the article supports the idea in this sentence?

• That's when the muscles that control eyelids eventually lose some of their tone and ability to move.

• You rarely notice this type of blink, which is incredibly fast.

• Without this repeated lubrication, your eyeballs begin to dry, and your eyelids feel sticky.

• Each time you blink, your eye closes for about three-tenths of a second.

Which sentence from the article helps explain why staring at a computer screen affects blink rates?

• Then blink rates decrease as people move into older adulthood.

• After 30 seconds you probably struggle to resist closing and then reopening your eyes.

• You'll blink less when you're concentrating on something.

• When you're thinking but not actually looking at something, your blink rate will also decrease.