My Niece Is Constantly Blinking Really Hard All of a sudden..any Other Toddlers?

I would take her to see an eye doctor. It could be anything from a bad habit to struggling to keep her eyes focused because she needs glasses or may have an eye turn when her eyes are tired.
hope that helps a little.
kim---(I'm an optometrist)

This happened to my son when he was 4- but it was during the spring time. I took him to the Opthamologist & he had allergies in his eyes. He was perscribed special allergy eye drops & it cleared up. The same thing happens to me every spring because of allergens in the air. -S.
http://staciebarry.tohe.com

It could be a lot of things, so it's definitely worth seeing an eye doctor about. I have always blinked very fast, and sometimes hard, even as a toddler. When I was younger, eye doctors called it an overactive nerve and said they could cut it. My psychologist calls it a nervous tic (I have generalized anxiety and probably have to some degree all my life). I also have extremely dry eyes (even with punctal plugs), and when I squeeze my eyes together or do a slow, deliberate blink, it helps lubricate them (I often do this subconsciously). My tear layer starts to dry twice as fast as most people's, so that has to do with some of the blinking. I know I blink harder and faster when someone comments on my blinking, so there's definitely a psychological component. Recently an eye doctor said he could inject botox to stop the fast blinking. Growing up, a few people teased me, but they were mostly adults! People really notice it (based upon comments from adults and kids), and it might bother some of them (no one has said so, but it bothers me when I see me in a video). However, I've not felt that it affected my life enough to have nerves cut or botox injected.

If she lives in a dry climate that can reek havoc on the moisture in ones eyes, even adults. I would check her out with the Dr and make sure there isn't an infection or something else going on. If her vision seems fine and the Dr okays it try moisturizing eye drops.
I had clogged tear ducts, a lot of babies are born with this too, I had to have tubes put in my tear ducts to allow the moisture.
I have to use eye drops daily too since there is little or no humidity here.
Sometimes kids figure out how their bodies work and go with it, from clucking their tongue, snapping their fingers, wiggling their nose or even blinking. If you think she isn't doing it for fun, then take her in to see a Dr and even a eye Dr.
Good luck

M.,

My first thought was have the child's vision checked. I didn't respond right away because I knew someone else would tell you that. As the day has progressed, I kept thinking about a little girl blinking hard and in my mind, I saw a child with Tourettes. I copied the end of this from WebMD. There was a lot more information. I have had several students over the years with Tourettes of varying degree. Sometimes tics are verbal and sometimes they are body movements like blinking. I may be totally off base here, but it is something to consider.

What is Tourette's disorder?
Tourette's disorder is a neurological (brain) condition that usually begins in childhood. It causes a child to make sounds or words (vocal tics) and body movements (motor tics) that are beyond his or her control. Tourette's disorder (TD) is also known as Tourette's syndrome and Gilles de la Tourette syndrome. Not all tics are from TD. Your child may have tics and not develop TD.

Motor tics usually begin between ages 2 and 8. Vocal tics can begin as early as age 2, but they usually start a few years after motor tics. Tics generally are at their worst about age 12. In most children, tics go away or decrease quite a bit in the teen years. But tics can continue into adulthood.

The effect tics have on children varies. Some children have mild tics that have a small impact on their lives. But even mild or infrequent tics may affect your child's self-esteem and relationships with friends and family. Severe and frequent tics may require treatment, including medicine and counseling. Although a child's tics may seem minor, they may interfere with the child's ability to learn and can cause embarrassment.

It is important to remember that:

Tics are not a sign of low intelligence and do not affect intelligence.
The severity of your child's tics is not a good indicator of how well he or she will perform in school or in social situations.
How well your child can cope with tics can be helped by a supportive home, school, and community environment.

I hope this is helpful and not too scary.

Theresa