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Study: Use a computer screen? Don't squint

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- An Ohio State University study suggests squinting while working at a computer can result in a condition called dry eye.

The researchers in the OSU School of Optometry found the more study participants squinted their eyes, the less they blinked. And the less they blinked, the more their eyes ached or burned, and the more they reported sensations of dryness, irritation and tearing.

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The researchers said even just a slight amount of squinting reduced blink rates by half, from 15 blinks a minute to 7.5 blinks a minute.

"People tend to squint when they read a book or a computer display, and that squinting makes the blink rate go way down," said James Sheedy, the study's lead author and a professor of optometry. "Blinking rewets the eyes. So if your job requires a lot of reading or other visually intense work, you may be blinking far less than normal, which may cause eye strain and dry eye."

Sheedy says squinting serves two purposes: It improves eyesight by helping to define objects that are out of focus and it also cuts down on the brightness from sources of glare.

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Results of the research appear in a recent issue of the journal Optometry and Vision Science.

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