Revolutionary device being tested in South Florida to help people with facial paralysis blink

Kristi Krueger, Anchor/Health Reporter

A revolutionary device is being tested in South Florida to help patients do something most of us take for granted: blink our eyes.

We blink about 15 times a minute, totaling around 15,000 times a day. However, people with facial paralysis are unable to blink at all, which can lead to debilitating eye dryness and blurry vision.

Soon, the Rand Eye Institute will be one of the first locations in the U.S. to conduct a clinical trial studying the effectiveness of an artificial blinking pacemaker.

This wearable device uses electrical stimulation to activate the muscles that cause us to blink.

“This device, the Neurotrigger, is controlled entirely by an app on the patient’s phone,” said a representative with the Rand Eye Institute. “The doctor can assist with the frequency and force of the blinks. The patient wears a sticker on the side of the face, which attaches to the app, and electrical stimulation causes the eye to blink.”

The blinking pacemaker was developed in Israel, and the Rand Eye Institute will be recruiting patients for a three-month-long clinical trial.

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Revolutionary device being tested in South Florida to help people with facial paralysis blink