Rubbing your eyes may be an instinctive reaction when they are feeling tired, dry, or irritated. While this seems like a harmless and natural response, it can actually cause serious damage to your vision. Let’s break down why rubbing your eyes is not the best solution for relief.
How Does Rubbing Your Eyes Cause Damage?
Rubbing your eyes causes friction which can lead to the thinning of the delicate skin around the eye socket. This thinning of the skin can cause wrinkles that weaken its structure and integrity over time. As you age, these wrinkles become more pronounced and can eventually impair normal vision. Moreover, rubbing your eyes increases pressure in the eye socket which can lead to small blood vessels in the area breaking and bleeding. In rare cases, excessively hard rubbing can even cause retinal detachment—a potentially blinding eye disorder if left untreated.
It’s also worth noting that when you rub your eyes, you’re transferring germs from your hands onto them as well as wiping away their natural tears and lubrication which only aggravates dryness further. So instead of providing temporary relief, excessive rubbing of the eyes will often make symptoms worse in the long run.
What Are Better Alternatives?
Rather than rubbing them, try using over-the-counter artificial tears or preservative-free eyedrops to help soothe dry or irritated eyes. If you suffer from chronic dryness or itching due to environmental conditions such as air conditioning or smoke exposure, consider wearing protective eyewear such as sunglasses or goggles when outdoors or in smoky environments. Additionally, if you wear contact lenses be sure to clean them with fresh cleaning solution every day before putting them in and remove them at night before sleeping for optimal comfort and hygiene practices.
Even though it may seem like a harmless action at first glance, rubbing your eyes should be avoided whenever possible since it can have long term damaging effects on both our vision and overall eye health. While using lubricating eyedrops is a great way to provide temporary relief from irritation caused by fatigue or dryness, it’s important to remember that prevention is always better than cure! Wearing protective eyewear when outdoors or in smoky environments is one way to help reduce irritation while keeping up with good contact lens hygiene practices will help ensure that our peepers remain healthy and comfortable throughout our lives!