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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think your eyes/eyeballs aren’t self cleaning?

431 replies

HumourMeThis · 28/11/2025 21:10

I’m not sure how it came up in conversation but me and DH were rocking about showering/cleaning and DH mentioned he doesn’t open his eyes in the shower much. I asked how he cleans his eyeballs and he looked confused. Turns out he doesn’t wash his eyeballs at all. He closes his eyes and washes his face but not his actual eyes?

AIBU to tell him his eyes don’t clean themselves and he needs to open his eyes and rinse them with the shower?

OP posts:
FatCatPyjamas · 28/11/2025 21:34

But WHO taught you to do this, OP?

GumFossil · 28/11/2025 21:34

No one washes their eyeballs, you weirdo 😂

JDM625 · 28/11/2025 21:34

Where are your parents from OP that they thought this was normal?

MrsHamlet · 28/11/2025 21:33

Meanwhile, those of us who wear contact lenses know you never ever ever use tap water on your lenses because of the risk of infection.

Original poster
HumourMeThis · 28/11/2025 21:33

ImThePr0blem · 28/11/2025 21:32

What do you mean whether you wash your legs or not?!

You’re telling me you wash your eyeballs but not your legs?

I do wash my legs! But I know people that don’t 😅

OP posts:
BatshitOutofHell · 28/11/2025 21:33

HumourMeThis · 28/11/2025 21:16

Ive always been taught to open my eyes under the shower and rinse my eyes because otherwise I would get conjunctivitis and infections because gunk builds up in them. Surely that makes sense! I can’t imagine not washing my eyes 😳

I think what you are doing is quite dangerous. Eyes are supersensitive. I am amazed that you haven't caught some kind of infection yet.

ImThePr0blem · 28/11/2025 21:32

What do you mean whether you wash your legs or not?!

You’re telling me you wash your eyeballs but not your legs?

Hereslookinatyoukid · 28/11/2025 21:32

hahhahahahhaaaa! Good one @HumourMeThis

Lullabycrickets23 · 28/11/2025 21:32

I would say anyone would look confused

Twistedfirestarters · 28/11/2025 21:31

aWUBBAWUBBA · 28/11/2025 21:28

How do you know you’ve managed to clean your entire eyeball, though? Are you sure you’re not just cleaning the front and letting the rest fester?

This is a very good point actually. The back of your eyes is probably filthy 😞

ItsameLuigi · 28/11/2025 21:31

Chemenger · 28/11/2025 21:12

What do you think tears do?

My tears burn my skin. After I cry my face feels like it's on fire 💔💔

Original poster
HumourMeThis · 28/11/2025 21:31

aWUBBAWUBBA · 28/11/2025 21:28

How do you know you’ve managed to clean your entire eyeball, though? Are you sure you’re not just cleaning the front and letting the rest fester?

You just rinse them, open eyes while looking up a bit into the shower and kinda look around a bit to give them a good rinse. I’m not like holding the shower head into my eyeballs like a lunatic. You just rinse them gentle by looking up.

OP posts:
Londonrach1 · 28/11/2025 21:29

Seriously...you could damage your eyes doing this. No one ever do that!

CindyCuthbert · 28/11/2025 21:28

Littletreefrog · 28/11/2025 21:11

I have never knowingly washed my eyeballs.

😂 not a phrase I’d ever thought I’d read. But yes same here. Of all my body parts that isn’t one I actively wash…

notallwhowanderare · 28/11/2025 21:28

HumourMeThis · 28/11/2025 21:28

Well yes obviously but you don’t get foreign objects in your eyes everyday to make them water, so surely they need washing daily too?

I grew up with this information. My parents told me how to wash my eyes and I remember being quite young when I still used to shower with my mum and she would wash her eyeballs this way too. I don’t think it’s as unusual as people make out.. similar to whether people wash their legs or not.

Show quote history

No.

Just - No.

aWUBBAWUBBA · 28/11/2025 21:28

How do you know you’ve managed to clean your entire eyeball, though? Are you sure you’re not just cleaning the front and letting the rest fester?

Palourdes · 28/11/2025 21:28

HumourMeThis · 28/11/2025 21:22

I’ve never once had an eye infection or conjunctivitis while DH has, it might be controversial maybe but it obviously works.

Well, in my 53 years I’ve never ‘washed my eyes’ and I’ve never had an eye infection, conjunctivitis, stye etc either, so I suppose my way works too!

Honestly, OP. This is like people who still believe in adulthood that if you swallow chewing gum it wraps around your internal organs because someone once told them that when they were five.

Stopthegravytrain · 28/11/2025 21:28

usethedata · 28/11/2025 21:13

Is this a joke?

Obviously

Original poster
HumourMeThis · 28/11/2025 21:28

ImThePr0blem · 28/11/2025 21:24

@HumourMeThis you’ve never had something in your eye and it has become watery? That’s your eye essentially cleaning itself to remove irritants.

I’m curious how your general eye health is and if you wear glasses? I imagine washing your eyeballs your whole life would actually cause damage

Well yes obviously but you don’t get foreign objects in your eyes everyday to make them water, so surely they need washing daily too?

I grew up with this information. My parents told me how to wash my eyes and I remember being quite young when I still used to shower with my mum and she would wash her eyeballs this way too. I don’t think it’s as unusual as people make out.. similar to whether people wash their legs or not.

OP posts:
Ineffable23 · 28/11/2025 21:28

I'm pretty sure getting tap water in your eyes can, in very rare cases, cause blindness, presumably due to a bacterial infection. I will now Google this and confirm my facts.

clamshell24 · 28/11/2025 21:27

Dear lord.

HalfWayAroundTheLoop · 28/11/2025 21:27

Twistedfirestarters · 28/11/2025 21:14

Why stop at your eyeballs? I inhale the shower water to give my lungs a good clean out.

Howling! 🤣

madnessitellyou · 28/11/2025 21:27

HumourMeThis · 28/11/2025 21:22

I’ve never once had an eye infection or conjunctivitis while DH has, it might be controversial maybe but it obviously works.

I’m very prone to conjunctivitis and have sensitive eyes. Dh isn’t. Neither of us wash our eyeballs.

So where does that leave us all then?

TheNameWasOnceChosen · 28/11/2025 21:26

Haha that's brilliant 👏

Scarlettpixie · 28/11/2025 21:26

Who the fuck washes their eyeballs??!! Just you I think OP 🤣