Purpose This study aimed to assess the differences in blinking kinematics while reading on different digital displays and a control condition. Methods Thirty-two young healthy individuals were included in this prospective clinical study. The blinks of subjects were recorded for 150 s while reading on a laptop computer, tablet, e-reader, and smartphone and a control condition. Blinks were recorded using an eye-tracking device and were analyzed by means of image analysis to obtain a non-invasive detailed description of the blink movement. Results Blink rate decreased when reading on all displays compared to the control (p < 0.0005), although no differences were obtained amongst displays (p > 0.05). The percentage of incomplete blinks was higher with the computer compared to the control (p = 0.043), and lower with the smartphone compared to the rest of the conditions (p ≤ 0.015). Blink amplitude was smaller when reading from handheld devices compared to the control (p < 0.0005) and the computer (p ≤ 0.048). Closing and opening blink durations remained unvaried amongst conditions (p > 0.05), while opening and closing speeds were greater for the control and the computer compared to the handheld displays (p < 0.0005). Finally, contact and total blink durations were shorter during computer reading compared to the control (p = 0.004 and p = 0.017, respectively). Conclusion Blinking kinematics vary considerably amongst displays and with respect to baseline, with these differences being probably attributed to differences in the way the displays are set up and the cognitive demand of the task.
