“It’s Just a Little Rub” #wait

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:05][music] [music] >> We're approaching allergy season. I'm seeing lots of fingers approaching lots of eyes. So, when you're tempted to do so, I want you to remember what I'm about to say. Let's look at the facts.

[00:00:20]See, keratoconus is a potentially sight-threatening condition of the eye that slowly deforms the cornea of young people. We still generally have a very poor understanding of how this condition develops, but one thing that we do have evidence for is its relationship with eye rubbing. One study found that those who rub their eyes frequently were 7.4 times more likely to develop keratoconus than those who were not. The most accepted explanation on why this happens is because eye rubbing damages the delicate surface of this outer part of the eye named the corneal epithelium, which causes [music] a trauma response and affects how the cells are aligned.

[00:01:00]The good news is though is that there's also evidence to suggest that when the eye rubbing stops, then so can the progression of the condition. So, if your eyes are itchy, then please use eye drops or just press on these hard inner parts of the eye rather than the ball itself. Because what might feel satisfying now may be anything but in the long term.