Table of contents:
- Why do people rub their eyes?
- What is the impact if we rub our eyes frequently?
- 1. Eye infection
- 2. Black eye bags
- 3. Eyes bleeding
- 4. Glaucoma
- 5. The cornea of the eye changes shape
- 6. The eyelids are swollen or injured
- If you can't rub, how do you clean your eyes properly?
- 1. Check the eye condition first
- 2. Remove the contact lenses
- 3. Take a comfortable position
- 4. Clean the eyes by rinsing
Have you been feeling tired lately? If so, try to remember how many times you rubbed your eyes? Feeling tired and tired does make us want to rub our eyes. Or, it could be caused by itchy eyes, or a feeling that something has entered the eye. Apparently, this habit can have a negative impact on the health of your eyes, you know.
Why do people rub their eyes?
Rubbing your eyes is a common practice when you wake up or feel sleepy. This habit may make you feel comfortable again and relieve itching in the eyes. But, did you know that this habit can actually cause health problems that are bad for the eyes?
In fact, rubbing your eyes is a way to stimulate tears to flow and then lubricate dry eyes. This of course will help the eyes to get rid of dust and other irritating substances that may get into the eyes.
Not only that, the tears that come out are considered to reduce the feeling of stress that is being experienced. When you put pressure on your eye area, stress can reduce stress, which stimulates the vagus nerve - the nerve around the eye - to slow down your heart rate and help you relax again.
What is the impact if we rub our eyes frequently?
Maintaining the habit of rubbing your eyes too vigorously is not good for eye health. Here are some health problems that can affect your eyes if you rub your eyes too often:
1. Eye infection
One of the reasons why rubbing your eyes is not a good activity is because the hands you touch your eyes may be filled with bacteria and parasites that can cause eye infections.
The eye is protected by a mucous membrane, which functions to keep the eye moist at all times and is a place that is very favorable for bacteria and parasites as a place to live.
When you do various activities, such as handling things, coming into contact with other animals or people, and then not washing your hands, imagine what would happen if those unwashed hands were then used to touch or rub your eyes too hard.
2. Black eye bags
Many think that dark eye bags are caused by fatigue and lack of sleep. But actually not only that can cause you to have large black eye bags.
The habit of rubbing your eyes can also cause eye bags to become darker. Therefore, from now on, avoid this habit so that your eye bags do not get bigger and black.
3. Eyes bleeding
Bleeding eyes, or what is calledsubconjunctival hemorrhage is a condition when the whites of the eyes turn red due to a blood clot. This doesn't mean your eye is bleeding.
This condition can occur due to rubbing your eyes too hard. The pressure when rubbing the eye can cause the blood vessels inside the eye to burst. As a result, the eyes turn red.
4. Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a disease of the eye caused by damage to the nerves of the eye, and will get worse if not treated immediately. This eye nerve damage occurs due to increased pressure on the eye, which can also be caused by the habit of rubbing the eyes too hard and frequently.
Most people who have glaucoma initially don't feel any symptoms or signs. So, often the sufferer comes with a high enough glaucoma severity and causes him to lose his vision, or even go blind.
5. The cornea of the eye changes shape
Another danger that lurks the eye due to excessive rubbing is keratoconus, which is a disorder that occurs in the deformed cornea of the eye. Normally, the cornea is shaped like a dome and sometimes turns into a spherical shape.
However, in keratoconus sufferers, the corneal cells are damaged then they cannot hold their shape and turn into a cone shape because the cornea protrudes outward.
This condition makes it difficult for sufferers to see if you don't use lenses or glasses. According to an article from StatPearls, keratoconus can be caused by the habit of rubbing the eyes too often.
6. The eyelids are swollen or injured
The habit of rubbing the eyes can also cause problems with the eyelids. One condition that is often complained about as a result of this habit is painful and swollen eyelids.
You may experience symptoms of swelling on the lid or around the eye, with or without pain when blinking. In severe cases, you may have blisters on your eyelids as a result of the rubbing too hard.
If you can't rub, how do you clean your eyes properly?
Actually, this habit is not recommended to do. In fact, rubbing your eyes due to itching due to eye irritation that is being experienced will actually make the irritation worse. Your eyes will get itchier, redder, and sore.
Therefore, it is better if your eyes feel itchy, do the following ways to clean your eyes naturally:
1. Check the eye condition first
Before rushing into rubbing your eyes, try to check your eyes for any foreign objects that have entered. Open your eyes wide with the help of two fingers, then look at your eye area in the mirror.
Look at the pink part on the inside of your lower lid. If there are dirt or small spots, try to remove the dirt slowly with the help of a wet cotton swab or a stream of water. Be careful not to hit your eyeballs.
2. Remove the contact lenses
Contact lenses are one of the most common causes of eye infections, usually because you didn't put your contact lenses in properly. In addition, wearing contact lenses can also trap incoming debris, worsening eye infection symptoms.
So, before cleaning your eyes, make sure you have removed the contact lenses. However, make sure you wash your hands first so you don't transfer germs from your hands to your eyes.
3. Take a comfortable position
The next way is to position yourself as comfortable as possible before starting to clean the eyes. The comfortable position also allows the water to flow into your eyes as you clean them.
Start by tilting your head downwards or slightly lowering your head. This will quickly drop the stream of water or the eye wash solution, preventing the infection from spreading to the rest of the eye.
4. Clean the eyes by rinsing
Prepare a special container or a small cup about the size of an eye (shot glass) and fill it with clean water or eye cleaning solution. Glue the small cup around the eyes, then turn your head back. This method will cause the liquid to hit the eye directly and begin to slowly clean the surface of the eye.
When cleaning your eyes, blink a few times and move your eye up, down, and to the side. Do this for 10-15 minutes to distribute the liquid throughout the eyeball.
When you're done rinsing your eyes, pat the area around your eyes with a clean, dry towel. You can also use eye drops if you still have eye itching.
So, from now on, leave the habit of rubbing your eyes slowly. Treating your eye problems appropriately will prevent you from any more serious eye diseases or disorders.
