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World Sight Day: 5 reasons why you should avoid rubbing your eyes

Rubbing your eyes can have a negative impact on your eye health. It can cause irritation, redness, infections, and even injury.
eye health
Avoid rubbing your eyes for better eye health! Image courtesy: Shutterstock
Published by Grace Bains
Updated On: 30 Oct 2023, 01:48 pm IST
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Every year, under the aegis of the World Health Organization (WHO), World Sight Day is celebrated on the second Thursday of October. The day is observed to raise awareness on vision impairment, including blindness.

This year, World Sight Day will be observed on October 14, 2021, and the theme is ‘love your eyes’. Part of loving your eyes includes taking care of them, and refraining from habits such as rubbing the eyes, as it can have an adverse impact on overall eye health.

World Vision Day
Rubbing your eyes may cause irritation. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
What compels us to rub our eyes?

Besides pollution and general tiredness, the proliferation of digital technologies has increased our screen time. These factors can make our eyes experience itchiness, dryness, tiredness, and burning, thereby making us take to rubbing the eyes. It could also be an indicator of allergy, infection, or merely a result of reflex of habit.

Rubbing the eyes can cause various issues with regards to eye health, and hence it is advisable to refrain from it.

eyes
Rubbing your eyes may do more harm than good. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
Here’s why you should not be rubbing your eyes

i) Risk of injury and chronic conditions

In case the eyes are rubbed too hard or too often, it can lead to injury, and development of serious ailments such as keratoconus (bulging and thinning of cornea). As per research published in International Journal of Ophthalmology, eye rubbing causes the thinning of cornea, and the degree of effect of eye rubbing depends on the period and force of performing eye rubbing.

ii) Can cause an infection or allergy

Infection such as conjunctivitis may occur as a result of eye rubbing. This happens when the bacteria or a virus on your fingers is transmitted when you rub your eyes. The same factor could also trigger an allergic reaction, and in fact may cause you to rub your eyes even more.

iii) Irritation and burning sensation

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Spices and dirt accumulated after eating could be transmitted from the fingers to your eyes. Lack of hygiene could cause irritation and burning sensation due to eye rubbing, making you feel itchy and leading to redness.

So, ladies, this World Sight Day, take a moment to be mindful of your eye health, and refrain from rubbing your eyes.

About The Author
Grace Bains
Grace Bains

Grace is someone who likes writing enough to make a living out of it. When she isn’t writing, you will find her having chai and reading a book.

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