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Rubbing your eyes can cause distorted vision in the long run, warns doctor�
Rubbing the eyes when they itch is such a relief. But did you know it could cause permanent damage to your vision in the long run?
A doctor advises against using your palm or fingers to rub the eyes no matter how inconvenient or annoying. He shows a safer way that doesn’t impact your vision.
Doctor warns against rubbing your eyes
It’s an instinct to rub our eyes not just when they itch. People do it first thing in the morning after waking up and others like to do the same to keep themselves from falling asleep when extremely tired.
It doesn’t matter what the reason is, but applying pressure on your eyeball could cause permanent damage in the long run.
Dr. Ever Arias warns against the habit we think is normal but hurts our eyes by causing a condition called keratoconus – thinning of the cornea.
“Don’t use your hand or palm, because it’s going to cause a lot of pressure to your eyeball,” he says, before explaining that rubbing your eyes frequently results in the thinning of the cornea, which eventually bulges out into a cone shape.
The doctor warns you’ll start losing your vision over time and could go “potentially blind”. He then displays the MRI of someone rubbing their eyes to show the movement of the cornea under pressure.
Furthermore, rubbing your eyes can cause the blood vessels to break, resulting in bloodshot eyes or even dark circles, notes Vision Eye Institute.
What you should do instead
Ignoring the itch in the eyes is impossible, so there are safer ways to relieve yourself. The eye surgeon advises using one finger instead of the whole hand, to slightly rub the eyelids and the surroundings, without applying any pressure to the cornea.
You can also flush out anything stuck in your eyes with sterile saline or artificial tears available over the counter. There are other eye drops to keep your eyes hydrated and reduce the itch.
We recommend consulting an eye specialist before using over-the-counter eyedrops to prevent itching, which can be caused due to chronic dryness or mere habit.
Dr. Ever Arias is currently a resident doctor at UCI Medical Center. He graduated from the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine in 2018.
