Recently, an extraordinary number of Japanese children as young as eleven years old have been getting styes, and cases of conjunctivitis, better known as pinkeye, have been on the rise. According to JapanCrush, their teachers began noticing the strange epidemic popping up in their classroom, but didn't realize that the source was a form of fluid swapping that seems a little more intimate than tonsil hockey.
One teacher discovered that eyeball licking may be the culprit when he walked in on underage heterosexual couple [with] their faces close together.î He wondered if it was a case of bullying, but once he got a clearer view, he saw the young man of the couple licking his ladyfriend's eye. They apparently jumped apart (like any two preteens getting caught fooling around would), and after overcoming their adolescent embarrassment, shared with him what they were doing and why.
Eyeball licking's official name is oculolinctus,î and it's slang term might be the most shudder-inducing part of this story: This activity is called worming.
The recent coverage of oculolinctus may suggest that this fetish is new, but far from it. Blog posts like these, posted in 2008 and 2012 respectively, feature oculolinctus, and explore its pros and cons in depth.
Numerous sources, including the wiki page, suggest that eyeball licking's appeal is due to the number of nerve endings in the cornea. Some also find it appealing because of the level of intimacy it suggests; the trust it requires to let someone that close to a vulnerable body part like the eye can feel meaningful. For the Japanese schoolchildren, it is apparently becoming the equivalent of second-base.
Before everyone decides to jump in and start tonguing the eye-crusties from the corner of their favorite lover's peepers, you should know that the risks of oculolinctus can be more than just a minor case of pink-eye. Two ophthalmologists that spoke to Huffington Post expressed concern over this activity's newfound popularity. They both said that there are some serious potential side effects of eyeball licking, from corneal abrasion to transferring herpes.
As a long time contact lens wearer who has terrible vision, I would be lying if I didn't say the idea of someone licking my eyeball squicks me out a little. That said, there are stranger things that turn people on, but remember to balance risks with rewards. Not all play is safe (I mean, not even sex is 100% safe), but it's important to understand the risks you take to fulfill your fancies.
That said, if you are comfortable with the risks and have discussed it with your partner, well...worm away, my darlings.
