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An assessment of the pattern of spontaneous eyeblink activity under the influence of topical ocular anaesthesia

  • Clinical Investigation
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Abstract

Purpose

To determine whether there is a change in the pattern of human eyeblink events under topical ocular anaesthesia.

Methods

Forty male subjects, aged between 19 and 52 years and with no significant ocular surface disease, were recruited. Their spontaneous eyeblink activity, in primary eye gaze position and in silence, was recorded for 5-min periods, before and after instillation of benoxinate 0.4% eyedrops. The surface anaesthesia was confirmed by aesthesiometry.

Results

The spontaneous eyeblink rate (SEBR) decreased from 9.1±4.0 blinks/min to an average of 5.7±3.3 blinks/min, with 37 subjects showing a decreased eyeblink rate under anaesthesia. Three blink patterns were observed before anaesthesia (symmetrical, J-type and I-type) and these were essentially unchanged under anaesthesia.

Conclusions

These studies confirm that the SEBR is usually reduced under surface anaesthesia (so is sensitive to exogenous control) but the pattern of the eyeblink activity is unchanged (so is less sensitive to exogenous control). The removal of exogenous stimuli by anaesthesia does not shift the eyeblink pattern to a single type, so indicates endogenous control.

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Acknowledgements

We should like to thank Dr Mohammed Laiquzzaman, James Duff and David Bullions for assistance in the early stages of this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Vision Sciences, Glasgow-Caledonian University, Glasgow, G4 OBA, UK

    Taher Naase, Michael J. Doughty & Norman F. Button

Authors
  1. Taher Naase
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  2. Michael J. Doughty
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  3. Norman F. Button
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael J. Doughty.

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Naase, T., Doughty, M.J. & Button, N.F. An assessment of the pattern of spontaneous eyeblink activity under the influence of topical ocular anaesthesia. Graefe's Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 243, 306–312 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-004-0990-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-004-0990-z

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