If your child has excessive eye blinking you may be concerned, but you should know that it is most likely a tic and usually will not last for more than three months. This involuntary movement may cause embarrassment for your child, but it is important to let your child know that it is only temporary.
Transient Tic Disorder or Tourette Syndrome
Excessive blinking may be due to a tic. A tic is a repetitive, sudden movement or sound that is difficult to control. The tic can be a motor tic, such as eye blinking, or a vocal tic. Most tics are temporary and do not last more than three months. According to Kids Health, transient tic disorder is a temporary condition that affects up to 25 percent of children before the age of 18. If the excessive eye blinking continues for a long time and is accompanied by other tics, your child may have Tourette syndrome. Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder making your child display unusual movements and sounds with no control. To be diagnosed with Tourette syndrome, your child would have to have these symptoms for over a year without going more than three months tic-free.
Symptoms
Tics and Tourette syndrome can range from mild to severe and debilitating and include eye blinking, nose wrinkling, lip biting, head twitching, kicking, jumping, throat clearing, coughing, barking and hissing. They usually show up between the ages of 7 and 10. According to MayoClinic.com, males are three to four times more likely to develop tics and Tourette syndrome than females. Children often outgrow this disorder after adolescence.
Cause
According to MayoClinic.com, the exact cause of Tourette syndrome and transient tic disorder is unknown, but it may be genetic or a brain abnormality. Some chemicals in the brain that transmit nerve impulse may play a role in both Tourette syndrome and transient tic disorder.
Complications
Excessive eye blinking due to a transient tic disorder will usually go away within a few months and cause no complications for your child. Children with Tourette syndrome often have a healthy and active life but are at an increased risk of behavioral, learning and social challenges. Children with Tourette syndrome are more likely to have obsessive-compulsive disorder, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Considerations
If you child has excessive blinking or other tics you should talk to him about trying to forget about it because concentrating on the tic will make it worse. He should avoid stress-filled situations and get plenty of sleep, because stress and being tired can make tics worse. If your child has Tourette syndrome, treatment is available and is is aimed at controlling the tic so it does not interfere with everyday activities.
