Eye Rubbing!!

[Louise Berridge]

I'm a bit late to contribute to this topic, but I have always rubbed my eyes alot and sometimes get intense itching, which feels like it's inside the eyeball. The only way to get any relief is to have a major poke and rub. If I had ever known such a condition existed as KC, more than I month ago, I would never have touched my eyes. After being told I had developed an astigmatism in 1 eye, I rubbed it even more in a daft attempt to correct it. After discovering it was KC, I am trying not to touch them, particulalry my eye that remains KC free...at the moment. Although, I have awoken to find myself rubbing my eyes in my sleep!
I sense that eye rubbing is likely to have triggered the condition, in my case, as it's not hereditory. Does anyone else feel they my have triggered the condition?

I also use eye drops continuously and they do help. The cold compress idea sounds good.

[Louise Pembroke]

As Andrew said, cold Hypromellose from the fridge is the best thing to relieve itching in my experience, but use it before rubbing

[Rich Moore]

Also suffer from rubbing the eyes however after 3 years of living with KC I'm getting far better at avoiding them. Its especially hard during the hay fever season.

The problem I have is that I'm almost certain that I rub my eyes whilst asleep since I often wake up with a blood-shot right eye - The worst affected by KC.

[Steven Williams]

"Close your eyes, firmly. use the CUPPED palm of your hand, and rub up and down with primarily the heel of your hand and fingertips in contact with your face, virtually NO CONTACT
WITH YOUR EYELIDS .........Ahhhhh, that feels so good, your entire face knows you are rubbing your eye, as it is bounded by contact with your hand. I find this soothing. As there is no added frontal pressure to the eyelid, eye, graft, etc it is probably as safe as actually manipulating the eyelid. I think, in my case, the brain is fooled into thinking that I am rubbing my eye as the entire area feels as though it has been touched, even though it is just the perimeter."

Contact lens wear definitely increases the tendency to eye rub for me even after they are removed. The edges of lids are itchy and have a stinging sensation.

I find it impossible not to eye rub and my technique has been to clench my fist and rub in the eye sockets with these.

Thanx for that practical tip Piper, one of the best I have come across. It reduces the pressure of the rub and also does the job.

[Jon House]

Forgive me for coming in late on this one as I'm slowly working my way through the topics on the discussion forum. I am a habitual eye rubber, which my wife has commented on on numerous occassions, particularly my left eye which is my affected eye. I have to say that reading through the forum so many things are coming to light to explain things I'd previously felt a bit stupid in discussing, thinking I was being a bit of a wuss. I am intrigued as to the eye rubbing being a possible factor in KC as I have asked and it doesn't appear that there is any hereditary link in my family, although there is a high incidence of astigmatism. Damn, I'm rubbing my eye again.........

[GarethB]

At opne of our AGM's it was put roward by one of our guest speakers that s the collegen moves against ech other it causes an itchy irritation so making us get the urge to rub our eyes.

While my lenses are in I have no urge to rub my eyes, only when I have taken them out.

I find chilled eye drops work well for soothing the itchyness and now rarely rub my eyes.

Having a graft helps condition yourself to stop rubbing your eyes when they get itchy. A bit extreme, but when I rubbed my eyes even three months post graft it was absolute agony! All those little stitches being pushed into your eye lid.

[Hermione Granger]

I'm horribly lazy about using eyedrops but Liquifilm Tears are good when I bother. Having friends who are aware of your condition and who shout at you if you so much as touch your eyes works a treat too!

[donna]

I get the urge to rub my eyes once I take the lenses out aswell. Minims help but I have to confess to rubbing themm sometimes aswell

[kerrie trim]

Same here, my eyes itch _SOOO_ much straight after taking lenses out and much as I try I can't resist rubbing. I don't think I've ever managed to remove lenses without a rub session after.

I think I really must rub hard cos I lose all coordination and it affects my speech - makes it really slurred and drunken sounding! My partner can tell if I'm busy eye rubbing even if he's in another room cos of what it does to my speech, and I get shouted at to stop, which does help because despite the fact I'm almost on the floor and sounding like a lush, I kind of don't process I'm doing it!

Anyone else get weird effects from eye rubbing? I worry I'm causing damage!

[Andrew MacLean]

My eyes used to itch on the removal of my lenses, and I am rather afraid that I did not resist the urge to rub. In fact I rather enjoyed a good eye rub when my lenses came out.

Andrew