6 things that can happen if you rub your eyes too much
Rubbing your eyes after spending long hours ogling at the screen can give you temporary relief.
But when done often or too much, it can lead to eye diseases, worsening the existing condition and even increase the risk of eye infection.
The dangers of rubbing your eyes
If you stare at the computer all day long or have eye allergy, nothing feels more satisfying than giving your eyes a good rub.
Rubbing the eyes feels therapeutic because it stimulates the vagus nerve, which can slow down your heartbeat and relieve stress.
Having said that, rubbing eyes too vigorously and too often can result in eye damage and exacerbate existing conditions, increasing your risk of infections.
Here are six things that can happen when you keep rubbing your eyes:
1 – It can increase the risk of serious eye disease
Chronic eye rubbing can weaken the cornea and lead to its distortion called keratoconus.
Continuous rubbing of the corneal tissue can cause it to thin and become more cone-shaped. Severe damage can require a corneal transplant.
2 – You can scratch your cornea
That eyelash or piece of dust in your eyes can cause immense irritation and temptation to rub the eyes. But this can make the situation worse.
This puts you at risk of scratching your cornea, which typically heals in a day or two. But if not treated properly, it can result in an ulcer.
If something like this happens, use water or saline to rinse your eye instead.
Also read: 7 tips for healthy Eyes
3 – It can make your glaucoma worse
If you have any existing eye condition, rubbing the eyes can make it even worse.
Glaucoma is often caused by an increase in the pressure inside the eye, known as intraocular pressure (IOP).
This pressure can lead to several problems including damage of the optic nerve, which can eventually cause vision loss.
Patients taking glaucoma medicine are suggested not to rub their eyes, even if the medication makes them feel itchy and blurry.
4 – It can make your nearsightedness worse
People with nearsightedness, also called myopia, can make their condition worse by rubbing their eyes. The condition has become common among people in the past few decades.
According to a 2016 study published in the Opthalmology, nearly 9.6 million people are highly myopic and their vision tends to worsen over time.
Also read: Awareness about eye diseases
5 – It can increase your risk of infection
Even if you wash or sanitize your hands often, they can still pick up thousands of germs.
Touching your eyes with dirty hands can transfer the bacteria to the eyes that can cause conjunctivitis or redness in the eyes.
If you get an infection in your eyes, a warm compress may help soothe it.
6 – You can get dark circles and bloodshot eyes
If you rub your eye hard enough, you can break the tiny blood vessels in your eyes, which can result in bloodshot eyes.
Dark circles can appear due to the inflammation caused by continuously rubbing the eyelid.
The appearance of dark circles post eye rubbing is called post-inflammatory pigmentary alteration.
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