# Do you have nerves in the back of your eyes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 16, 2003, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-nerves-in-the-back-of-your-eyes/169037 "2003-04-16T07:02:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-nerves-in-the-back-of-your-eyes/169037/1 "2003-04-16T07:02:13Z")
I got some sort of tiny hard particle in my eye, that was uncomfortably scratching everything up. I couldn’t get it out, and it went behind my eye. I can’t feel it now, so I was wondering - are there nerves back there? If not, could that mean that the particle is just rolling around back there cutting everything up? Anything I can do about it? Just let it drain out the mucous passage? ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-nerves-in-the-back-of-your-eyes/169037/2 "2003-04-16T08:10:06Z")
You mean, besides the optic nerve? ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-nerves-in-the-back-of-your-eyes/169037/3 "2003-04-16T08:22:22Z")
Yeah, I mean pain sensing nerves. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-nerves-in-the-back-of-your-eyes/169037/4 "2003-04-16T10:04:14Z")
It is most likely that the object actually worked its way out of your eye when you were sleeping or otherwise not noticing; it may even be that it wasn’t there for the whole time you thought it was; a foreign body in the eye can cause scratches which make it feel like it is still there. I’d see a doctor anyway, just in case. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-nerves-in-the-back-of-your-eyes/169037/5 "2003-04-16T10:27:19Z")
Ah, in this case, I’m talking about a manner of minutes. It was scratching around for 2 or 3 minutes, got to the back of the eye, and just stopped hurting. So I was worried that it was just back there, and I couldn’t feel it, and it was doing damage. Not much I can do about it, I guess… Seems a trivial thing to go to the doctor for. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-nerves-in-the-back-of-your-eyes/169037/6 "2003-04-16T18:12:17Z")
There are nerves back there, but as far as I can recall, they’re pretty well protected by layers of muscles. I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-nerves-in-the-back-of-your-eyes/169037/7 "2003-04-16T21:17:43Z")
Maybe you’re starting to make a pearl…