We all have a habit of rubbing our eyes if anything irritating or causing discomfort to our eyes.
Rubbing your eyes, though seemingly harmless, is something that many of us do from time to time.
It feels good because it increases tear flow and eye lubrication, which relieves dry eyes and aids in the removal of dust and other irritants.
When it is good then, so, why do eye doctors recommend that you don’t rub your eyes?
Especially in today’s time where Covid-19 can be spread through the eyes’ mucous membranes. In addition to this, it can harm the structure and vision of your eyes.
Let’s get to know more as to why It is dangerous and how it can damage the eyes?
Long-Term Vision Loss
One of the most concerning things is when you rub your eyes constantly, it can have long-term consequences. It has been shown in studies that it causes corneal tissue thinning, weakening the cornea and pushing it inward to become more conical.
Keratoconus is a severe eye disease that causes thinning of the cornea, which can lead to blurred vision and the need for a corneal transplant.
Eye Injury
Whenever something is irritating your eyes, a natural reaction of any being is to rub it. However, since the object could scratch the cornea, this may result in further damage.
Rubbing your eyes is the least powerful and risky way to get something out of your eyes.
Short-term eye rubbing is unlikely to cause a problem, except for a small number of patients who may have a serious problem underlying their eye disorder.
In the current situation, where Covid-19 is rapidly spreading, it is critical to understand that hands should be washed for at least 30 seconds with soap and water before wiping with a clean, dry towel.
Greater Risk of Infection
Since our hands are coated in bacteria and germs, it is important to understand that rubbing with hands is not good from a hygiene perspective also.
These bacteria can easily be transmitted and cause an infection like conjunctivitis. Even if you use a lot of hand sanitizer and wash your hand’s hundreds of times a day, rubbing your eyes will always put you at risk of getting an eye infection.
Because of the increased eye pressure caused by the rubbing, a retinal tear or detachment may occur.
Creating Dark Circles-Making Face Not Attractive
It has been observed that when you rub or scratch your eyes, it can cause the dark circle to appear.
We all understand that our eyes are a very sensitive organ in our body and compared to the face, eyes are the thinnest and most fragile on the face.
When you rub your eyes, you risk damaging the tiny blood vessels just under the surface of the skin. When blood vessels burst, blood flows into the surrounding tissue, briefly darkening the color of your skin.
Wrapping-Up
Doctors suggest that the amount of pressure is applied to wash and dry your face, the same amount of pressure should be applied to your eyes.
Eye rubbing is a natural habit for humans, which is difficult to avoid. If you are having irritation or itchiness consistently, please schedule an appointment with your eye doctor as soon as possible.
