Why You Should Not Rub Your Eyes

We can’t deny it feels good when we rub our eyes when waking up or even when we’re tired, but most especially when it’s itchy. There’s a tinge of normalcy and a feeling that it “helps.” However, like all things, too much of something can be harmful.

In this article, let’s dive into why we rub our eyes and why we should avoid rubbing them.

Why Do We Rub Our Eyes?

Several conditions can cause rubbing your eyes. Here are some:

Allergies

Allergies often cause itchy eyes. You may experience itchy eyes if exposed to pollen, animal fur, mold, dust mites, make-up, or eye drops. When the body responds to a trigger, it releases histamine, which dilates blood vessels in the eyes and irritates nerve endings, resulting in watery eyes.

Eyestrain
Eyestrain can also cause burning, itchy eyes. Many people suffer eye strain from looking at digital screens all day or driving for long periods. You may experience eyestrain at night if you read in dim lighting or haven't stopped to rest your eyes. Stress and fatigue may cause you to develop eyestrain. Your eyes may also be irritated by the air from heating or air conditioning.

Eyestrain can also cause the following symptoms:

• Blurry vision
• Headache
• Light sensitivity
• Difficulty concentrating

Eye Infection

Pink eye (conjunctivitis) occurs when the transparent membrane (conjunctiva) covering your eyelid and eyeball becomes inflamed or infected. An inflamed conjunctiva makes these blood vessels more visible. As a result, the whites of your eyes appear reddish or pink.

Pink eye symptoms include:

• Eye redness
• Having itchy eyes on one or both sides
• Eyes that feel gritty
• Eye discharge forms a crust over one or both eyes during the night, preventing you from opening them in the morning.
• Tearing

Usually, you won't feel pain, but an itching sensation may cause you to rub your eyes. Contact with an infected person can quickly spread conjunctivitis, making it highly contagious. 

Why Does Rubbing Eyes Feel Good? 

No matter the reason, rubbing your eyes provides relief, whether you're tired, bored, or just itchy. All of us, from infants to senior citizens, reach for our eyes when we are tired because as our eyes tire, they become dry. 

When you rub your eyes, you stimulate the lacrimal glands, which create lubrication and give you some relief. In addition, the pressure exerted on the eyes stimulates the vagus nerve. As a result, your heart rate slows down, and you can easily fall asleep.

Is It Bad to Rub Your Eyes?

The following reasons will help you understand why you should not rub your eyes. 

1. Scratches Can Damage Corneas

Rubbing the eyes is a reflex for most of us, a natural response to itches, irritation, and allergies. We rub our eyes because it works as a relief.

However, rubbing your eyes when you have a foreign object in them, even the tiniest matter, is like sanding wood with sandpaper. When microparticles rub against your eyes, your eyes cannot feel the microabrasions. Additionally, your fingers and hands transfer even more tiny particles as you rub your eyes, contributing to even more microabrasions. 

As a result of chronic eye rubbing, the cornea becomes scratched over time, resulting in a series of minor scratches that can lead to severe damage over time. Scratches of the cornea may, at first, cause eye-watering, redness, and light sensitivity. Eventually, the cornea may become infected or scarred. The most severe corneal scratches can result in permanent vision problems.

2. The Cornea Can Thin if You Rub Your Eyes

The cornea, the outermost lens of the eye, has several functions. It can focus that light for a clear image by controlling how much light enters. An eye's perfect vision depends on a healthy cornea with collagen fibers that maintain its spherical shape. However, rubbing your eyes can also alter the collagen network. Constant rubbing of the eyes leads to more of the corneal surface being scratched. This leads to breaks down of the collagen fiber network that supports the eye's spherical shape.

There is also the possibility of the cornea becoming thin and changing to a cone shape as it bulges out. Several years of continuous eye rubbing can cause keratoconus. As a result of this condition, the cornea thins and loses its shape. In some cases, even with contact lenses or glasses, keratoconus can cause blurry vision.

3. You Have A High Risk for Eye Infections

A scratched or thin membrane makes the eye more prone to infections. Although the eye has an amazing set of defenses – eyebrows, lower and upper eyelashes, and a moist flushing system activated every time you blink – it is still susceptible to developing infections. 

Having inflamed or scratched eyes, or transferring bacteria from your hands to your eyes, increases your risk of eye infection.

The most common bacteria that cause hand-to-eye infections are Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Salmonella, and E. coli. Fungal infections are also a possibility. Thus, please wash your hands frequently and dry them carefully before rubbing your eyes.

4. Rubbing Your Eyes Increases Histamine Levels

Your body releases histamines to fight inflammation, especially when you have allergies. The release of histamine can go into overdrive during allergy season, worsening allergy symptoms. 

Allergy season can accelerate your histamine response if you rub your eyes more than usual due to allergy-related itchy eyes. Despite the relief you may experience during eye rubbing, you will experience worse discomfort a few seconds later due to the release of more histamine.

Over-the-counter artificial tears that flush allergens from the eyes can relieve inflammation and itching. Consider discussing several different treatment options with your doctor. 

5. Rubbing your Eyes Leads to Darker Circles 

Genetics, medications, anemia, and aging can all play a role. Still, dark circles are more commonly caused by poor sleep habits and fatigue. Rubbing your eyes may feel satisfying – releasing a new, moist batch of tears – but it may also exacerbate dark circles. 

Underneath the thin skin surrounding the eyes are delicate blood vessels. As you rub your eyes, those capillaries break easily, which leads to bruising that makes dark eye circles even worse. 

6. Wrinkles and Skin Loosening

Remember how we mentioned above that you shouldn't rub your eyes to reduce dark circles? Continuous rubbing can stretch and loosen the delicate skin around the eyes, resulting in wrinkles. 

7. Rubbing Your Eyes Can Worsen Glaucoma 

Approximately 3 million Americans suffer from glaucoma. Additionally, blindness caused by this disease ranks second worldwide. Even though glaucoma affects the optic nerve at the back of the eye, it can be treated by reducing excessive pressure inside the eye. 

Rubbing your eyes puts pressure on the inner, fluid-filled chamber (called the vitreous cavity). As a result, the pressure inside the eye can fluctuate greatly, worsening glaucoma.

Say Goodbye to Itchy Eyes

Do you rub your eyes often? Here at Modern Focus Eyecare, we aim to give you the best eye care that suits your needs. We provide eye exams to assess if you need glasses, contact lenses, or a new vision prescription to combat eye strain. Additionally, our board-certified optometrists can give you the utmost care for properly managing itchy eyes. Let's talk about your eye health today. Call us at (972) 617-800.