Oculolinctus
Oculolinctus, also known as "worming" or eyeball-licking fetishism, refers to the alleged paraphilic practice of licking eyeballs for erotic gratification. In mid-2013, English-language newspapers reported that this fetish had allegedly become popular in Japan, where it was referred to as Gankyū name purei (眼球舐めプレイ?, "eyeball licking play").[1] However, other media have reported that the existence of this practice is a hoax based on a story in a Japanese tabloid[2][3] and many of the originally reporting articles were corrected[4] or retracted[5] as being possibly a hoax.
Characteristics
In 2013, oculolinctus reportedly became popular among teenagers in Japan, causing a significant rise in eye infections. According to a retracted article by The Guardian, eyeball-licking was "seen as a new second-base; the thing you graduate to when kissing gets boring", possibly due to it being featured in a music video by the Japanese band Born.[5] Further reports, e.g. by the tabloid Daily Mail or in an article by the Huffington Post later corrected as a possible hoax, showed an increase in Japanese schoolchildren wearing eyepatches due to eye infections arising from the act, with one school finding one third of 12-year-old students admitting to engaging in oculolinctus.[4][6] There are also accounts of this practice in the U.S. Virgin Islands.[7]
Risks of licking an eyeball
The practice is associated with significant health risks, as tongues are coated with a film of microorganisms, which may cause infections in the eye, such as conjunctivitis and chlamydia. It also carries the risk of corneal abrasion[5] and corneal ulcers.[8] Oral bacteria on the tongue can potentially enter corneal scratches caused by licking the eye, which then lead to infection.[9]
Furthermore, there is also the risk of blindness from the resulting infections, as well as styes. The difference in bacteria between the eye and mouth is why it is no longer recommended to lick contact lenses before they are inserted into one's eye.[7]
References
- ↑ 2013-06-07, 小学生に眼球なめ変態プレイが大流行, 読めるモ
- ↑ LICK THIS! Mark Schreiber
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 David Moye, 2013-06-12, "Eyeball Licking Causing Pinkeye In Japan", The Huffington Post (later corrected as a hoax)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Emma Innes, 2013-06-13, "The EYEBALL LICKING craze that's sweeping Japan and causing a surge in eye infections", Daily Mail
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Ashik Siddique, 2013-06-12, "Eyeball Licking ‘Oculolinctus’ Fetish Spreads Pink Eye Among Japanese Preteens", Medical Daily
