Do your eyes feel dry, gritty, burning or tired, particularly after using a computer or phone?
One possible contributor is incomplete blinking.
A normal blink does more than briefly close your eyes. It spreads the tear film across the surface of the eye and helps the oil-producing meibomian glands in the eyelids release oil into the tears.
When you blink too infrequently—or the upper and lower eyelids do not fully meet -the lower part of the eye can remain exposed for longer. This may contribute to tear evaporation, fluctuating vision and dry-eye symptoms.
Why Is Blinking Important?
Each blink helps refresh the tear film covering the front of the eye.
A complete blink helps:
- spread tears evenly across the ocular surface;
- redistribute the oily layer of the tear film;
- reduce tear evaporation;
- clear small amounts of debris; and
- maintain a smooth optical surface for clear vision.
Problems can arise when we blink too infrequently or when our blinks are consistently incomplete.
What Are the Main Types of Inefficient Blinking?
1. Reduced Blink Rate
When concentrating on activities such as reading, computer work or phone use, we may blink less often.
Longer gaps between blinks give the tear film more time to evaporate.
For someone already prone to dry eye, this can contribute to:
- burning or grittiness;
- fluctuating vision;
- tired eyes; and
- increased discomfort with contact lenses.
2. Incomplete Blinking
An incomplete blink occurs when the upper eyelid does not fully meet the lower eyelid during the blink.
This can leave part of the eye—often the lower cornea—less effectively rewetted.
If this happens frequently, patients may experience persistent irritation, tear-film instability or dryness despite using lubricating drops.
Why Are Screens Often a Problem?
Many people blink differently when concentrating on digital devices.
During prolonged screen use, blink frequency can decrease and a greater proportion of blinks may be incomplete.
This is one reason symptoms can become worse after:
- computer work;
- gaming;
- prolonged reading;
- phone use; or
- other visually demanding tasks.
Simply using more eye drops may help temporarily, but improving blink behaviour can also be worthwhile when inefficient blinking is contributing.
What Does an Efficient Blink Look Like?
A good blink should be complete, gentle and relaxed.
The upper and lower eyelids should briefly meet without squeezing the eyes tightly or involving unnecessary facial muscles.
Think:
Close gently → lids meet → open naturally.
You should not need to scrunch the eyes or forcefully contract the muscles around them.
Blink Training Exercise
One simple way to practise more complete blinking is to build it into your regular screen breaks.
Every 20 minutes:
- Look away from your screen and into the distance.
- Relax your face and shoulders.
- Perform a series of slow, complete blinks.
- Make sure the upper and lower eyelids gently meet.
- Avoid squeezing the eyes tightly.
You can practise approximately 20 complete blinks over around 20 seconds.
The aim is not simply to blink more -it is to develop a more complete and relaxed blink pattern.
Regular short practice sessions are generally more useful than performing one long session occasionally
How Do I Know If I Am Blinking Incompletely?
It can be surprisingly difficult to tell by yourself.
Some people can see incomplete blinks when recording themselves on a phone in slow motion, but clinical examination can provide more useful information.
During a dry-eye assessment we may look for:
- incomplete eyelid closure during blinking;
- tear-film breakup;
- staining of the lower cornea or conjunctiva;
- meibomian gland dysfunction;
- eyelid-position abnormalities; and
- signs of ocular-surface exposure.
This can help determine whether incomplete blinking is actually contributing to your symptoms.
Still Getting Dry, Burning or Gritty Eyes Despite Blink Training?
Incomplete blinking may be only one part of the problem. Meibomian gland dysfunction, rapid tear evaporation and ocular-surface inflammation can occur alongside it.
Take our 2-minute Dry Eye Symptom Test
What If Blink Training Isn’t Enough?
Blink exercises can be useful when incomplete blinking is mainly associated with habit, concentration or prolonged screen use.
However, exercises alone may not be enough when there is more significant ocular-surface exposure.
We may also need to assess:
- tear-film stability;
- meibomian gland function;
- eyelid position;
- whether the eyelids close completely;
- corneal staining; and
- the health of the ocular surface.
Treatment then depends on the underlying cause.
This may include:
- appropriate lubricating drops;
- lubricating ointment in selected cases;
- treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction;
- eyelid and dry-eye management;
- moisture protection; or
- referral for further assessment when eyelid closure is abnormal.
Can Scleral Lenses Help With Incomplete Eyelid Closure?
For most people with habitual incomplete blinking, scleral lenses are not required.
However, in patients with more significant exposure keratopathy or complex ocular-surface disease, a specially fitted scleral lens may sometimes be considered.
A scleral lens vaults over the cornea and holds a reservoir of preservative-free fluid between the lens and the eye.
This can provide both optical correction and protection for a compromised ocular surface.
Whether this is appropriate depends on the severity and cause of the exposure and the overall health of the eye.
Is Incomplete Blinking the Same as Lagophthalmos?
Not necessarily.
Someone may perform incomplete blinks during concentration while still being able to close their eyes normally.
Lagophthalmos refers to an inability to completely close the eyelids and may occur while awake, during sleep, or both.
This can cause more significant ocular-surface exposure and sometimes requires a different approach from ordinary blink training.
If your eyes remain partly open during sleep, you wake with significant dryness or pain, or your eyelids visibly do not close completely, it is worth having this assessed.
When Should I Have Incomplete Blinking Assessed?
Consider an eye assessment if you experience:
- persistent dryness or burning despite lubricants;
- symptoms despite practising complete blinking;
- fluctuating vision;
- recurrent redness;
- contact-lens intolerance;
- significant symptoms on waking;
- discomfort concentrated in the lower part of the eye; or
- difficulty fully closing the eyelids.
At Westmead Eyes, a Dry Eye Assessment can evaluate your blinking, tear-film stability, corneal staining and meibomian glands to determine whether incomplete blinking is the main problem or one part of a broader dry-eye condition.