{"id":599212,"date":"2024-04-19T10:31:04","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T14:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=599212"},"modified":"2024-05-01T09:36:33","modified_gmt":"2024-05-01T13:36:33","slug":"why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do we blink so much?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Researchers find that blinking plays a pivotal role in processing visual information\u2014adding to a growing body of evidence revising our conventional views of vision.<\/h2>\n<p>The ordinary act of blinking takes up a surprising amount of our waking time. Humans, on average, spend a remarkable 3 to 8 percent of their awake time with their eyelids closed.<\/p>\n<p>Given that blinks prevent an image of the external scene from forming on the retina, it\u2019s a peculiar quirk of evolution that we spend so much time in this seemingly vulnerable state\u2014especially considering that eye blinks occur more frequently than necessary just to keep our eyes well lubricated.<\/p>\n<style>.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }<\/style>\n<div class='embed-container'><iframe src='https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hov4mHnl-UY' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h3><strong>So, why is blinking important?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Researchers from the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/\">University of Rochester<\/a> investigated the curious case of blinking and found that eye blinks aren\u2019t just a mechanism to keep our eyes moist; blinks also play an important role in allowing our brains to process visual information. The researchers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/doi\/10.1073\/pnas.2310291121\">published their findings<\/a> in the <em>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy modulating the visual input to the retina, blinks effectively reformat visual information, yielding luminance signals that differ drastically from those normally experienced when we look at a point in the scene,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sas.rochester.edu\/bcs\/people\/faculty\/rucci_michele\/index.html\">Michele Rucci<\/a>, a professor in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sas.rochester.edu\/bcs\/index.html\">Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, a lot more happens in the blink of an eye than meets the eye.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>The big picture\u2014in the blink of an eye<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Rucci and his colleagues tracked eye movements in human observers and combined this data with computer models and spectral analysis\u2014analyzing the various frequencies in visual stimuli\u2014to study how blinking affects what the eyes see compared to when the eyelids are closed.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers measured how sensitive humans are at perceiving different types of stimuli, such as patterns at different levels of details. They found that when people blink, they become better at noticing big, gradually changing patterns. That is, blinking provides information to the brain about the overall big picture of a visual scene.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_601892\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-601892\" style=\"width: 2000px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-601892\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/inline-why-blinking-eyes-is-important.jpg\" alt=\"Person hooked up to an apparatus used to track eye movements to study why blinking is important.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/inline-why-blinking-eyes-is-important.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/inline-why-blinking-eyes-is-important-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/inline-why-blinking-eyes-is-important-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/inline-why-blinking-eyes-is-important-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/inline-why-blinking-eyes-is-important-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/inline-why-blinking-eyes-is-important-1680x1120.jpg 1680w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/inline-why-blinking-eyes-is-important-1250x833.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/inline-why-blinking-eyes-is-important-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/inline-why-blinking-eyes-is-important-660x440.jpg 660w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-601892\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>IN PLAIN SIGHT:<\/strong> Owen Tu \u201925 demonstrates the apparatus used to track eye movements in the lab of brain and cognitive scientist Michele Rucci. (University of Rochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"pullquote\"><span style=\"font-size: 400%;\">\u201c<\/span>Contrary to common assumption, blinks improve\u2014rather than disrupt\u2014visual processing.\u201d<\/div>\n<p>The results show that when we blink, the rapid motion of the eyelid alters the light patterns that are effective in stimulating the retina. This creates a different kind of visual signal for our brain compared to when our eyes are open and focused on a specific point.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_602272\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-602272\" style=\"width: 1184px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-602272 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/SpatialFrequency_Michele-Rucci-e1713808531438.jpg\" alt=\"Three images of the same view of a baby. The first is labeled ORIGINAL IMAGE and looks sharp and clear. The second is labeled LOW SPATIAL FREQUENCY and is blurred. The third is label HIGH SPATIAL FREQUENCY and is sharp but very greyed out and low contrast. \" width=\"1184\" height=\"608\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/SpatialFrequency_Michele-Rucci-e1713808531438.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/SpatialFrequency_Michele-Rucci-e1713808531438-630x324.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/SpatialFrequency_Michele-Rucci-e1713808531438-768x394.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1184px) 100vw, 1184px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-602272\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>SEEING THE BIG PICTURE:<\/strong> The researchers tracked eye movements in human observers and combined the data with computer models and spectral analysis. They found that blinks emphasize low spatial frequency (SF)\u2014the overall big picture of a scene\u2014and play an important role in allowing the brain to process visual information. (Image provided by the Rucci Lab)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cNeurons respond strongly to temporal changes in their input signals and tend to not respond to unchanging stimuli,\u201d says Bin Yang, a graduate student in Rucci\u2019s lab and the first author of the paper. \u201cWith their abrupt transients, blinks make the visual system respond strongly to the image on the retina. Thus, contrary to common assumption, blinks improve\u2014rather than disrupt\u2014visual processing, amply compensating for the loss in stimulus exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Revising a view of vision<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The findings further reinforce the growing body of research in visual perception from Rucci\u2019s laboratory, highlighting that how humans see is a combination of sensory input and motor activity. When we smell or touch, for instance, our body movements help our brain understand space. Researchers previously believed seeing was different, but Rucci\u2019s research lends support to the idea that vision is more like the other senses.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_601872\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-601872\" style=\"width: 2000px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-601872\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/inline-2024-03-28_Michele_Rucci_0221.jpg\" alt=\"Michele Rucci with his arms crossed, smiling at the camera, while in his lab surrounded by eye tracking equipment. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/inline-2024-03-28_Michele_Rucci_0221.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/inline-2024-03-28_Michele_Rucci_0221-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/inline-2024-03-28_Michele_Rucci_0221-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/inline-2024-03-28_Michele_Rucci_0221-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/inline-2024-03-28_Michele_Rucci_0221-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/inline-2024-03-28_Michele_Rucci_0221-1680x1120.jpg 1680w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/inline-2024-03-28_Michele_Rucci_0221-1250x833.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/inline-2024-03-28_Michele_Rucci_0221-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/inline-2024-03-28_Michele_Rucci_0221-660x440.jpg 660w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-601872\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>NEW VIEWS:<\/strong> \u201cVision resembles other sensory modalities more than commonly assumed,\u201d says Michele Rucci, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences. (University of Rochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cSince spatial information is explicit in the image on the retina, visual perception was believed to differ,\u201d Rucci says. \u201cOur results suggest that this view is incomplete and that vision resembles other sensory modalities more than commonly assumed.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Researchers find that blinking plays a pivotal role in processing visual information\u2014adding to a growing body of evidence revising our conventional views of vision.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":912,"featured_media":599232,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[18672,18572,16072],"class_list":["post-599212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sci-tech","tag-department-of-brain-and-cognitive-sciences","tag-research-finding","tag-school-of-arts-and-sciences"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why do we blink so much?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"University of Rochester researchers find that blinking our eyes plays a pivotal role in processing visual information.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why do we blink so much?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"University of Rochester researchers find that blinking our eyes plays a pivotal role in processing visual information.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-19T14:31:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-05-01T13:36:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/fea-why-eye-blinking-important-1200x630.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lindsey Valich\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lindsey Valich\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lindsey Valich\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/fcd7d29a5b8e855924bf73b764dcd827\"},\"headline\":\"Why do we blink so much?\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-19T14:31:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-05-01T13:36:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":716,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/fea-why-eye-blinking-important.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences\",\"research finding\",\"School of Arts and Sciences\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Science &amp; Technology\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\\\/\",\"name\":\"Why do we blink so much?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/fea-why-eye-blinking-important.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-19T14:31:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-05-01T13:36:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/fcd7d29a5b8e855924bf73b764dcd827\"},\"description\":\"University of Rochester researchers find that blinking our eyes plays a pivotal role in processing visual information.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/fea-why-eye-blinking-important.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/fea-why-eye-blinking-important.jpg\",\"width\":2000,\"height\":1200,\"caption\":\"BLINK AND YOU MISS IT? Not so, according to new research conducted by University of Rochester scientists. (Unsplash photo)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why do we blink so much?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/\",\"name\":\"News Center\",\"description\":\"University of Rochester\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/fcd7d29a5b8e855924bf73b764dcd827\",\"name\":\"Lindsey Valich\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/author\\\/lvalich\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why do we blink so much?","description":"University of Rochester researchers find that blinking our eyes plays a pivotal role in processing visual information.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why do we blink so much?","og_description":"University of Rochester researchers find that blinking our eyes plays a pivotal role in processing visual information.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\/","og_site_name":"News Center","article_published_time":"2024-04-19T14:31:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-05-01T13:36:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/fea-why-eye-blinking-important-1200x630.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lindsey Valich","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lindsey Valich","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\/"},"author":{"name":"Lindsey Valich","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/fcd7d29a5b8e855924bf73b764dcd827"},"headline":"Why do we blink so much?","datePublished":"2024-04-19T14:31:04+00:00","dateModified":"2024-05-01T13:36:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\/"},"wordCount":716,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/fea-why-eye-blinking-important.jpg","keywords":["Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences","research finding","School of Arts and Sciences"],"articleSection":["Science &amp; Technology"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\/","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\/","name":"Why do we blink so much?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/fea-why-eye-blinking-important.jpg","datePublished":"2024-04-19T14:31:04+00:00","dateModified":"2024-05-01T13:36:33+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/fcd7d29a5b8e855924bf73b764dcd827"},"description":"University of Rochester researchers find that blinking our eyes plays a pivotal role in processing visual information.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/fea-why-eye-blinking-important.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/fea-why-eye-blinking-important.jpg","width":2000,"height":1200,"caption":"BLINK AND YOU MISS IT? Not so, according to new research conducted by University of Rochester scientists. (Unsplash photo)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/why-blinking-eyes-is-important-visual-processing-599212\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why do we blink so much?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/","name":"News Center","description":"University of Rochester","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/fcd7d29a5b8e855924bf73b764dcd827","name":"Lindsey Valich","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/author\/lvalich\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/912"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=599212"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":604282,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599212\/revisions\/604282"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/599232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=599212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=599212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=599212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}