# Is it bad to de-gauss my eyes every day? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 2, 2015, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-de-gauss-my-eyes-every-day/724029 "2015-07-02T07:51:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-de-gauss-my-eyes-every-day/724029/1 "2015-07-02T07:51:46Z")
I stumbled across a good stress relief technique online, but I want to make sure it isn’t harmful before I make it a habit. I like to press lightly on my closed eyes until I see sparklies, then release after about 10 seconds. I heard it lowers your heart rate and/or blood pressure, but the person who said that may have been misinformed. It certainly does help to relax/refocus me, especially after a long morning of staring at my computer screen at work. Is this harmful? ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-de-gauss-my-eyes-every-day/724029/2 "2015-07-02T10:01:30Z")
I would recommend that next time you just close your eyes and wait ten seconds and see if you get the same effect. Just giving yourself time to calm down is probably what does it, not pushing on your eyeballs. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-de-gauss-my-eyes-every-day/724029/3 "2015-07-02T10:53:46Z")
I cover my eyes with my hands, but leave them open so they defocus on infinity. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-de-gauss-my-eyes-every-day/724029/4 "2015-07-02T13:08:21Z")
One of the ergonomic mnemonics the industrial hygienists at work give us to avoid eyestrain is the 20/20/20 rule for people working on computer screens or other close work. Every 20 minutes spend at least 20 seconds looking at something at least 20 feet away. It sounds goofy, but it actually seems to help. Plus, I don’t think de-gauss means what you think it means. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-de-gauss-my-eyes-every-day/724029/5 "2015-07-02T13:38:57Z")
The sparkles come from retina firings caused by the spike in pressure. I used to amuse myself in grade school by filling the room with fireworks this way, just a tiny push on the outer corner of my eye while resting my chin in my hand. But I only did it until I needed glasses. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-de-gauss-my-eyes-every-day/724029/6 "2015-07-02T17:00:50Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > The sparkles come from retina firings caused by the spike in pressure. Those sparklies are called [phosphenes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphene). I’ve also read somewhere that, being caused by the pressure, they can damage the retina, which certainly sounds plausible. ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-de-gauss-my-eyes-every-day/724029/7 "2015-07-02T17:11:34Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > I stumbled across a good stress relief technique online, but I want to make sure it isn’t harmful before I make it a habit. I like to press lightly on my closed eyes until I see sparklies, then release after about 10 seconds. I heard it lowers your heart rate and/or blood pressure, but the person who said that may have been misinformed. It certainly does help to relax/refocus me, especially after a long morning of staring at my computer screen at work. > > Is this harmful? I had pretty severe near-sightedness before my LASIK (-7.5 contact prescription in each eye). In that case, there’s already a lot of pressure on the retina (the football v. soccer ball shape of the eye). So people with severe near-sightedness have an increased risk of retinal detachment - at least, that’s what my optometrist told me. Because my vision been pretty bad, he advised me to never even rub my dry eyes (the actually eyeball part) through the lids, because of that risk. I don’t have the education to know about how much of risk that is. Just thought I’d mention that for those with myopia. BTW, in my case, even laying my arm across my closed eyes for a few seconds while lying down will cause me to get floaters. I’m not sure if that’s the same thing you mean by sparklies or not. And my optometrist tells me I have rather good retinas for someone who’s vision was so bad. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-de-gauss-my-eyes-every-day/724029/8 "2015-07-02T17:26:59Z")
> [@Tzigone](#): > > ISo people with severe near-sightedness have an increased risk of retinal detachment - at least, that’s what my optometrist told me. Because my vision been pretty bad, he advised me to never even rub my dry eyes (the actually eyeball part) through the lids, because of that risk. I don’t have the education to know about how much of risk that is. Just thought I’d mention that for those with myopia. This is completely consistent with what I’ve been told over the years - I have pathological myopia (though thanks to IOL I can see beautifully now!) and retinal degeneration; my ophthalmologists have always warned me to be on the lookout for the signs of a detachment. Years ago my doctor was someone on the faculty at Harvard med who had just done some research on the effects of rubbing your eyes (this was circa the late 1980s). He said: DON’T DO IT!!! IT’S WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT. I have no idea if his research has held up over the years but thanks to him I’ve tried never to rub my eyes. My current doctor gives me similar advice. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-de-gauss-my-eyes-every-day/724029/9 "2015-07-03T02:01:22Z")
I appreciate the input so far! Phosphenes are what I’m referring to. The “lowers your blood pressure” thing was brought up in the same context as the “mammalian diving reflex,” which allegedly causes your heart rate to lower when water is splashed on your face? Again, this could all be bullshit, the source is unreliable. ---
**Author:** ![No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_umlaut_for_U)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-de-gauss-my-eyes-every-day/724029/10 "2015-07-03T03:27:08Z")
Received the same advice over the years re. retinas and re. interocular pressure. Do something else to destress. I try to find a window and focus on the farthest object I can bring into focus, take a deep breath (don’t hold it!), and let the breath out through pursed lips. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-de-gauss-my-eyes-every-day/724029/11 "2015-07-03T04:48:12Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Years ago my doctor was someone on the faculty at Harvard med who had just done some research on the effects of rubbing your eyes (this was circa the late 1980s). He said: DON’T DO IT!!! IT’S WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT. > > I have no idea if his research has held up over the years but thanks to him I’ve tried never to rub my eyes. My current doctor gives me similar advice. Out of curiosity I looked up my old doctor - he retired a couple of years ago but his research specialty was corneas. So probably rubbing your eyes is bad for your retinas AND your corneas! ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-de-gauss-my-eyes-every-day/724029/12 "2015-07-03T12:25:15Z")
Slight hijack, but I read somewhere that rubbing your eyes is the primary mechanism for catching a cold, because viruses on your fingers get into your tear ducts. It keeps getting worse! ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-de-gauss-my-eyes-every-day/724029/13 "2015-07-03T17:14:09Z")
And pink eye – kids get pink eye mostly from rubbing shit into their eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-to-de-gauss-my-eyes-every-day/724029/14 "2015-07-03T19:22:44Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > It certainly does help to relax/refocus me, especially after a long morning of staring at my computer screen at work. You shouldn’t be staring at a computer screen for long periods. Take a 5 minute break every hour. > **[Should VDU users be given breaks? – health and safety at work](https://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/vdubreaks.htm)** > > The relevant regulations are the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992. Regulation 4, is concerned with the daily activities of users