Doctors may predict death within 24 hours using a simple bedside eye reflex test study finds

One blink response could signal a patient’s clock

A new BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care study suggests clinicians could estimate whether a patient may die within 24 hours using a quick bedside check. Researchers report that lack of the corneal reflex, the eye’s automatic blink response, is strongly linked to imminent death, with those showing no reflex far more likely to deteriorate within a day.