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by angela Smith on August 11th, 2005

angela Smith

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Can I damage my eye by overitching it?

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  • by Scottythinks on August 12th, 2005

    Scottythinks

    If you mean rubbing your eye lid with your finger or hand in order to quench an itch or irritation in your eye then yes it is possible to damage your eye.
    Any pressure on your eye has the potential to cause harm. Any damage done may not be irreversible but it is a possibility. There is also the possibility of introducing foreign objects into your eye anytime you make contact with it especially with your hand or finger.
    Some people believe that rubbing your eyes a lot can lead to keratoconus which is an irregular protrusion of the cornea and can cause you to lose your vision over time. Keratoconus it is also very difficult to treat so if you’ve rubbed your eyes often as long as you can remember, are coming up to or over thirty, or have any vision problems already may I suggest you have a doctor look at your eyes for this serious condition.
    Also, just rubbing your eye has the possibility of causing conjunctivitis (the inflammation of the conjunctiva which lines the whites of the eye and eye lid) though this is more likely caused by a foreign object in the eye.
    The introduction of foreign objects definitely has the possibility of causing eye damage. You can develop conjunctivitis, a sty or a chalazion. By introducing bacteria or viruses into your eye you can cause conjunctivitis (pink eye) which can be contagious and often can affect more of your body than just your eye or, you can cause a sty (horeolum) which is usually caused by a staphylococcus infection in a duct in the eye and if not properly treated can lead to cellulites (an even deeper infection) which can definitely cause some severe damage. Foreign objects in the eye can also cause what is called a chalazion which is a blockage of an oil duct in or around the eye and sometimes can stay around a very long time or sometimes will clear up on it’s own in a couple of days. Chalazions can become cysts in your eye that are, shall we say, not very comfortable. A larger foreign object in your eye that is then rubbed can cause scratches on the cornea which can lead to all sorts of other problems too.
    So in short: Yes over itching your eye can cause eye damage.
    Your mother was right when she said “Stop rubbing your eyes!”
    Find some info on keratoconus at: www.visionweb.com/content/consumers/dev_consumerarticles.jsp?RID=22

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