# Eyepoppin' good **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [April 15, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477 "2005-04-15T14:47:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477/1 "2005-04-15T14:47:57Z")
In Cecil’s column on [eyes coming out of the socket](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/050415.html) , he states: > [@Cecil](#): > > Incidentally, Gould and Pyle go on to relate that “in former days there was an old-fashioned manner of fighting called ‘gouging.’ In this brutal contest the combatant was successful who could, with his thumb, press his opponent’s eyeball out.” That is a highly effective self-defense manuver. It’s really amazing how little pressure overall it will take to evolve the eyeball. Even if the bad guy manages to squint the eye tight shut and prevent the evulsion, it’s still going to change his focus from attacking you to protecting his eye. And of course, being a martial artist, I can attest to the fact that we do make jokes about this. I’m almost always asked, after describing an eyegouge, if the eye can be put back in the socket. I’ll answer along the lines of, “Yes, you can even do it for him. Just grab his gonads and yank real hard. SSHHUUUPP - it’ll pull it right back in.” Humor, even dark humor like that, is a VERY effective teaching technique. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_carumba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5fc32e/32.png) [@Hey\_carumba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_carumba)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477/2 "2005-04-15T15:42:06Z")
Cecil: Montreal is know for being a fun city, not for our cold nuts. Hey Carumba * * * \*\*Patient who gouged out eyes sues hospital \*\* By CP MONTREAL – A psychiatric patient who \*\*gouged out both of his eyes \*\* while in a state of religious delirium is suing two Montreal hospitals, claiming they are responsible for failing to prevent his gruesome self-inflicted injuries. _[http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2005/04/09/989648.html](http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2005/04/09/989648.html)_ ---
**Author:** ![Bean\_Counter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/db5fbb/32.png) [@Bean\_Counter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bean_Counter)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477/3 "2005-04-15T16:25:37Z")
This column reminded me an episode of the “Guiness World Record” show from a year or two ago. They had three people in a contest for the world’s record on who could “bug” their eyes out. It was pretty bizarre. The winner was able to protrude their eyes something like 10 centimeters or so from their normal position. That lead me to my question about the optic nerve. In these situations where the eye is restored and sight is fine afterwards, is it because there is enough slack in the optic nerve behind the eyeball that it can “tether” the eyeball or does the optic nerve stretch? ---
**Author:** ![Bean\_Counter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/db5fbb/32.png) [@Bean\_Counter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bean_Counter)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477/4 "2005-04-15T16:34:36Z")
> [@Bean Counter](#): > > The winner was able to protrude their eyes something like 10 centimeters or so from their normal position. Ok, I was off by a factor of 10. The record holder is able to pop her eye’s out 11 millimeters, not centimeters. From the Guinness http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/ Search under “eyeball popper”. And I just realized Guinness is indeed spelled with 2 “n’s”. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477/5 "2005-04-15T20:01:10Z")
I just wanted to say that I love the word “discommoded”. And before anyone starts a thread on it, no, Cecil’s remark about African descent was not racist, and you do not have to feel guilty about reading it. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2005, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477/6 "2005-04-16T00:35:00Z")
Agreed, and to put it in perspective; The only human being I have witnessed that could bug his eyes out was one of African descent. ---
**Author:** ![Mathochist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c89c15/32.png) [@Mathochist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mathochist)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2005, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477/7 "2005-04-16T05:37:22Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > I just wanted to say that I love the word “discommoded”. I just wanted to compliment yet another wonderful opus by Slug. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2005, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477/8 "2005-04-16T06:58:28Z")
The version of the tale I heard as a kid most frequently involved a kid (from another school in town, or the town where the tale-teller’s cousins lived, or, well, you get the picture) getting his head whacked from behind in football, or dodgeball, or just the generic “gym class”, when something popped out of his eyeball. The gym teacher told him to pick up his contact lens, but the kid said he didn’t wear contact lenses. _ **IT WAS HIS RETINA!!!** _ \ If any of my former schoolmates are now reading this, I’d like to point out that I was right all along in doubting this tale. While a blow to the head can cause the retina to detach, the damn thing is _inside the eyeball,_ and therefore cannot fall to the floor unless you’ve got worse damage to your face than dodgeball ever did. I feel better now. As for Slug’s drawing, what the hell, I didn’t need to eat breakfast this morning anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2005, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477/9 "2005-04-16T09:41:53Z")
> [@Hey\_carumba](#): > > Montreal is know for being a fun city, not for our cold nuts. Can’t we be both? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2005, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477/10 "2005-04-16T13:09:37Z")
My only personal gross eyeball story: A friend’s teen aged son managed somehow to slice his own eye in two with a knife. The best eye surgeon in the state was a friend of her father’s, and he went to the hospital at 4 in the morning and managed somehow to stitch up the eye and save it. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2005, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477/11 "2005-04-16T13:15:40Z")
> [@Bean Counter](#): > > Ok, I was off by a factor of 10. The record holder is able to pop her eye’s out 11 millimeters, not centimeters. Just to put it all in perspective, 11 centimeters is about **four inches. :eek: _BLOINGGGGG_** ---
**Author:** ![elisathekid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/13edae/32.png) [@elisathekid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elisathekid)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2005, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477/12 "2005-04-16T21:53:03Z")
i loved that article (very informative) actually, it reminded me of a calvin & hobbes cartoon where calvin hits suzy on the back of her head and she says her eye fell out. calvin is the enthused and helps look for the eye whereupon suzy with both eyes intact exacts revenge upon calvin (love cartoons, can’t help it) ---
**Author:** ![Mathochist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c89c15/32.png) [@Mathochist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mathochist)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477/13 "2005-04-17T05:52:32Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > My only personal gross eyeball story: A friend’s teen aged son managed somehow to slice his own eye in two with a knife. The best eye surgeon in the state was a friend of her father’s, and he went to the hospital at 4 in the morning and managed somehow to stitch up the eye and save it. Is your friend’s son a big Dali or Buñuel fan? ---
**Author:** ![Mathochist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c89c15/32.png) [@Mathochist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mathochist)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477/14 "2005-04-17T05:54:05Z")
> [@flodnak](#): > > As for Slug’s drawing, what the hell, I didn’t need to eat breakfast this morning anyway. This comment has been brought to you by Ocul-Os. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477/15 "2005-04-17T07:48:21Z")
> [@Uncommon Sense](#): > > Agreed, and to put it in perspective; > The only human being I have witnessed that could bug his eyes out was one of African descent. I’ve seen a few photos of eye-poppers from through the decades, and even video footage of several of them together on the same occasion ( :eek: )(Guinness had a TV show at the time). All of them were black. ---
**Author:** ![thekitchenninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df788c/32.png) [@thekitchenninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thekitchenninja)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477/16 "2005-04-19T03:27:53Z")
Eye pops aren’t limited to humans! When I was young I had the rather visceral experience of seeing my dog (a pekingese) get hit by a car. He survived the incident and when I ran up to him afterward, he turned to face me and his eye was hanging out of the socket. Strangely enough, he seemed fine otherwise. After much screaming and hysterics on my part I managed to get my parents’ attention and we took the dog to an emergency vet. The eye couldn’t be saved and the lids were sewn shut. The “one-eyed wonder dog” as he came to be known wasn’t slowed down a bit by the accident. In fact, I rather think he got smarter! The vet said that the eye came out because of the flat structure of his face. In fact, some pekes and pugs have been known to spontaneously pop out an eye when they get older due to loss of muscle tension (para-phrasing at best here. This was 20 years ago) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477/17 "2005-04-21T14:19:40Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > My only personal gross eyeball story: A friend’s teen aged son managed somehow to slice his own eye in two with a knife. The best eye surgeon in the state was a friend of her father’s, and he went to the hospital at 4 in the morning and managed somehow to stitch up the eye and save it. Ahem. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGG GGGGHHHHHHHH!!!one! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477/18 "2005-04-21T15:45:10Z")
> [@Hey\_carumba](#): > > Cecil: > Montreal is know for being a fun city, not for our cold nuts. > > Hey Carumba > > * * * > > \*\*Patient who gouged out eyes sues hospital \*\* > By CP > > MONTREAL – A psychiatric patient who \*\*gouged out both of his eyes \*\* while > in a state of religious delirium is suing two Montreal hospitals, claiming > they are responsible for failing to prevent his gruesome self-inflicted > injuries. > > _[http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2005/04/09/989648.html](http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2005/04/09/989648.html)_ I removed the bulk of the text of this article, for copyright reasons. Please folks, you can quote from relevant articles, but you can’t copy them totally on this site, that’s copyright violation. your humble TubaDiva ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477/19 "2005-04-22T12:21:49Z")
Anybody see ER last night (04/21)? Patient coughed or something like that and his left eyeball popped out. Looked pretty realistic. They did get it back in with a little effort. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2005, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477/20 "2005-04-23T17:17:19Z")
> [@thekitchenninja](#): > > Eye pops aren’t limited to humans! When I was young I had the rather visceral experience of seeing my dog (a pekingese) get hit by a car. He survived the incident and when I ran up to him afterward, he turned to face me and his eye was hanging out of the socket. Strangely enough, he seemed fine otherwise. I was away at scout camp when the following event occurred, so I didn’t see it firsthand (and I’m glad), but when I got back I got a full report on it from my siblings and parents. I guess I would have been about thirteen at this time. Apparently my dad found a bunch of baby bunnies at his job site, along with a squashed mother rabbit that had apparently been run over by some equipment. He brought the six babies back home with him and we were appropriately awed at how cute they were, but we had no facilities for taking care of pets any more needy than a cat, so they took the bunnies over to some friends who were experienced at raising rabbits. They also appropriately ooh-ed and aah-ed over the cute little things, and took them to their back yard where the rabbit pen was. My parents were talking to the adults when my little sister came up and informed them that one of the baby bunnies “was sick,” and had a berry stuck to its face. As you can probably guess, somebody had stepped on one of them and the “berry” was its eyeball, now stuck to the side of the face of the twitching baby bunny – who was not as lucky as your dog, as it passed on after a few minutes. I’ve never seen that kind of mass hysteria among kids since. Man, were they freaked out. It probably scarred them for life. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyepoppin-good/299477.md?page=2)