People rub there eyes for a variety of reasons. Eyes can feel dry, burning, and itchy, and it seems that giving them a good rub will make them feel better - BUT DON’T DO IT!

For lots of good reasons eye rubbing is never a good idea. In an allergy situation it just makes everything worse. A safe alternative is eye drops or cool compresses - cool flannel or gel pack applied very gently.

Your eyelids, guess what, you’ve got one pair to last a lifetime. They are delicate. Gravity and a lifetime of blinking are going to change the structure of the eye lids and how effectively your blink reflex works to keep the surface of your eye moist and comfortable. Rubbing will honestly not be good in the long term.

This is particularly important for people who are at risk of developing keratoconus. This is condition where the cornea becomes distorted.

So if you need any further encouragement here is a video of an MRI of a violent knuckle rub to an eye. Dr Damien Gatinel, an ophthalmologist who looks after people which keratoconus studies eye rubbing using MRI imaging.