Rubbing Your Eyes Can Harm Your Vision
April 6, 2017
There are few eye therapies which can relieve your eyes’ stress and stimulate the vagus nerve. However, rubbing your eyes to relieve yourself can come at a serious cost to your vision. But why do we rub our eyes, and what other option is there to get relief from that burning sensation? Our doctors have faced these questions numerous times, so they thought of solving the mystery by putting a spotlight on this matter.
Why Do We Rub Our Eyes?
We often get the urge to rub our eyes due to irritation caused by several reasons like excessive screen time, dust, and pollutants, dryness, exposure to extreme climatic conditions, waking up after long hours of sleep, fatigue, and others. It is even a habit for a few people. Tired and fatigued eyes often result in dry eyes, and many people inculcate this habit of rubbing their eyes often as a result. However, gently rubbing dry eyes helps trigger the secretion of tears, helping lubricate eyes that are dry or itchy. But that’s not all, surprisingly; it can help relieve stress too.
Despite the benefits associated with an occasional gentle ocular massage, rubbing your eyes can potentially do more harm than good. There are several problems that come as an effect of rubbing eyes habitually like:
Dark Circles
There are certain signs which show the arrival of old age on your body. One of them is dark circles. The area below your eyes is one of the first areas which shows signs of aging. Rubbing your eyes can cause tiny blood vessels beneath the skin’s surface to break, resulting in dark circles, and puffiness and can even contribute to premature crow’s feet and drooping eyelids. Illness, allergies, prolonged tobacco use, alcohol consumption and excessive salt intake are other reasons for dark circles. So, it is recommended to resist the urge of rubbing your eyes and avoid excessive salt intake, tobacco, and alcohol to keep the skin around your eyes looking fresh and vibrant.
Rubbing Can Cause Excess Pressure
Frequent rubbing can harm your eyes, which can result in losing vision. Even light rubbing can double the pressure in your eyes. Activities such as removing make-up, and wiping tears can add more pressure. Aggressive eye rubbing can increase eye pressure by as much as 20 times. Those with advanced myopia can find that excessive rubbing can exacerbate vision.
Bacteria Transmits from Your Hands to Your Eyes
From cleaning around the house to working on the computer or cooking, we use our hands for almost everything throughout the day. Anytime we touch our eyes without washing our hands, we risk transferring those bacteria to our eyes, which can lead to infection. We recommend avoiding rubbing your eyes, even in the case of allergies as it may elevate the allergens.
In case of any irritation or itchiness, wash your eyes multiple times with clear water and relieve your eyes with comforting eye drops. This will help relieve the irritation and also clears the extra dirt that can accumulate in your eye due to pollution. If you’re still having trouble with dry eyes, give our office a call today, so we can help you find the right solution for you!