Man Suffers Serious Eye Damage After Using Massage Gun on Eyeballs

Health experts are warning people not to use percussive massage guns on their eyes after a young Scottish man suffered serious eye injuries linked to the practice.

The case, published in the BMJ Case Reports journal, involved a man in his 20s from Edinburgh who used a massage gun on and around his eyes for several weeks in an attempt to relieve eye tiredness.

While massage guns are designed to help relieve muscle pain, improve blood circulation, and promote relaxation, doctors say they can cause significant damage when used on sensitive areas such as the eyes.

The patient sought medical attention after noticing floaters and flashing lights in his right eye. Doctors discovered extensive damage in both eyes.

His right eye had multiple retinal tears, widespread bruising, and a condition known as retinal dialysis. His left eye also showed significant bruising and six smaller retinal tears.

Doctors Niamh O’Connell and Ashraf Khan said the injuries were unusual because the patient had no history of eye disease, head trauma, or family-related eye conditions.

The man, who wore glasses for short-sightedness, initially could not provide an explanation for the injuries. However, after further questioning, he admitted that he had been using a percussive massage gun directly on his eyes and around the eye area every week for about three months.

Medical experts concluded that the massage gun was the likely cause of the damage.

According to the doctors, the repeated percussive force likely compressed the eyeballs rapidly, causing them to deform and resulting in retinal tears and retinal dialysis.

The case is believed to be the first documented instance of retinal dialysis accompanied by multiple retinal tears in both eyes linked to massage gun use.

Fortunately, six months after diagnosis, the patient’s condition had stabilized without further progression of the retinal damage.

The incident has prompted doctors to remind the public that massage guns should only be used as intended and never applied directly to the eyes.

This is not the first reported case of vision problems linked to massage gun misuse. Previous reports have documented cases involving cataracts and lens dislocation after similar use of the devices on the eyes.