“WHY OUR EYES BLINK”

Your eyes blink, or close the eyelids rapidly, for any of several
reasons. It might be to protect themselves from an irritating
substance or to protect themselves against a bright light or to keep
themselves clean.

Every time you blink your eyes, you are really crying, or producing
tears. Under your upper eyelids are tear glands, the lachrymal
glands. Each time your eyelids close, the movement creates a
suction, which draws out some salty fluid, or tears, from the
lachrymal glands. These tears keep your eyes from drying out.

But if an irritating substance, such as a speck of dirt, reaches the

eye, the lids automatically blink and tears appear to wash out the eye
and protect it against the irritant. These tears drain from your eyes
into your nose through your tear ducts, tiny tubes at the inner corner
of each eyelid. When the tears are too great to drain through the tear
ducts, the ducts become flooded and the tears run down your face.

You blink your eyes about 25 times a minute