How Does Rubbing Your Eyes Damage Vision?

Rubbing your eyes may seem like a normal harmless thing. But, is it really so?

We all know that rubbing your eyes excessively is bad for your eyesight. But, does it have any long-term effects on your vision?

Most of us rub our eyes when we feel tired, something gets inside our eyes or the moment we wake up in the morning. But, you must know that even when you rub them gently, you are disturbing the thin film of tears on the cornea. 

Although rubbing your eyes feels therapeutic, you must avoid it at all costs. Why? Find the reasons below:

Risk of eye infection

We touch a lot of objects and surfaces from our hands and thus our hands probably always have germs. When you rub your eyes, these germs and bacteria transmit to your eyes increasing the risk of eye infections such as the pink eye.

Although eye infections are curable and go away after some time, as long as they stay, you will feel uncomfortable visual symptoms such as blurry vision and eye pain. Blepharitis is another eye infection type where the patient may not be able to open his/her eyes.

Even when you use a hand sanitiser and wash your hands from time to time, rubbing your eyes will only heighten the risk of eye infection.

Eye infections may even occur when something gets into your eyes, for instance, dust or debris. If you want to avoid this situation, buy cheap glasses online with oversized lenses so they cover up your eyes and keep them protected from foreign objects.

It gives you dark circles

Apart from transferring germs, rubbing your eyes aggressively will disturb the delicate skin under the eyes. It damages the fragile blood vessels of your skin and makes it appear red.

Dark circles are inevitable as you age. But, if you have a habit of rubbing your eyes, you might have to deal with this problem sooner than later.

The skin around your eyes is thinner and more delicate as compared to the rest of your face. Thus, any pressure on it will disturb its natural balance and cause dark circles. And if you already have them, rubbing your eyes will only make the situation worse.

While you can use makeup to hide the under-eye bags, you can also use glasses to give you a youthful look. Get spectacles online in a cat-eye shape if you are a woman or chunky black frames if you are a man. These glasses will take years away from your face and give you a youthful appearance.

Corneal abrasion

Although rubbing gives a moment’s relief to your eyes, it could cause serious damage to your cornea.

The cornea is the outer layer of your eyes that bend the light rays so they fall on the focus points of your retina and you get a clear vision.

When you rub your eyes excessively and too frequently, you are disrupting the natural composition of the cornea.

When dirt or debris gets inside your eyes, our first reflex is to rub them. But, this could make the object go even deep into the eyes. And if it’s a sharp object, it could lead to corneal abrasion.

Hence, your cornea won’t be able to bend light rays as effectively as it should and you will have to deal with blurry vision. But, this problem will resolve on its own once your cornea has healed properly. In case the situation doesn’t get any better, see an eye doctor about it.

How do you stop eye rubbing?

Well, it’s a matter of time. You will have to make a habit of keeping your hands away from your eyes.

But, you can avoid problems that make you want to rub your eyes. For instance, screen time makes your eyes tired. So, when you are using digital devices, wear prescription blue light glasses. These glasses will block the blue light and reduce eye strain.

If you have developed eye allergies, seek medical help and take medications so the allergy goes away soon.

Dry eyes feel itchy and we rub them. So, make sure you keep your eyes nice and lubricated. Use eye drops or artificial tears if your natural tears aren’t enough.