BlinkCare: Blink Rate Tracker

Stare at a screen for a while and your blink rate drops to almost half of normal. That is why your tear film dries out and your eyes start to feel gritty and sore. BlinkCare counts your blinks in real time with the front camera, shows you how your eyes are doing right now, and helps you get back into the habit you forgot about.

■ Real-time blink tracking
When you start a session, a five second calibration runs first. It sets a baseline for the size and shape of your own eyes, and blinks during that window are not counted. After that, your blinks per minute and your running total are shown together on screen.

■ Alerts that tell you where you stand
When your blinks per minute fall below the threshold you set, a caution appears on screen, and if the shortfall continues you get a warning with a vibration. You can choose a threshold of 12, 15 or 18 blinks.

■ Session report
When a session ends you can see the share of time spent in the normal, caution and warning bands at a glance, along with your total session time, your average blinks per minute, and your lowest stretch.

■ History
Check the days you measured on a monthly calendar, and use the seven day average to see how your eye care habit is changing. Tap a date to pull up that day's sessions.

■ One reminder a day
Pick a time and an eye break reminder arrives every day at that hour. Setting it takes a moment with the clock dial for AM and PM, and the wording changes each time. Turning reminders on and off is handled in your system notification settings.

■ Camera footage never leaves your device
Face detection and blink scoring both run entirely on your device. Camera footage and face landmark data are never uploaded to a server and never stored. No account and no sign in are required, and you can delete your measurement history at any time from Settings.

■ Also included
Choose a theme from system default, light or dark.
Measurement pauses automatically if no face or blink is detected for 15 minutes.

■ Permissions used
Camera: required in order to detect your blinks.
Notifications: optional, for eye break reminders.

■ Who this is for
Office workers and developers who spend most of the day at a monitor
Students and exam candidates putting in long study hours
Contact lens wearers whose eyes dry out easily
Anyone whose eyes have felt gritty after a long stretch on a phone

BlinkCare is not a medical device and does not replace an eye examination or diagnosis. If you have ongoing eye discomfort or pain, please see an eye care professional.