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A man lost his peripheral vision after repeatedly slapping his eye in an attempt to stop it from twitching
The man, from Wuhan, China, believed a superstition that a twitch in the right eye brings disaster.
He suffered a detached retina after slapping his face in an attempt to ward off what he believed was a bad omen, following bogus medical advice he found online.
According to local newspaper Changjiang Daily, the incident began when the man, identified as Le, noticed his right eyelid twitching for several days.
Le panicked due to a popular Chinese proverb: "A twitching left eye brings wealth, while a twitching right eye brings disaster"
Hoping to avoid bad luck, Le searched online and came across a claim that slapping the eyelid could drive away misfortune.
Bypassing doctors, he decided to try the method himself.
Le spent three days repeatedly slapping his right eye until the twitching stopped. However, a more serious problem emerged: his peripheral vision disappeared entirely, leaving him with severe tunnel vision.
He later rushed to a hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with a retinal detachment.
Ophthalmologists said that the human retina is less than 0.3mm thick, meaning forceful impact can easily cause a tear.
Fortunately, surgery successfully restored his sight.
The incident quickly trended online, with one online observer quipping, "Le really did make the old saying about a twitching right eye bringing disaster come true."
Doctors advise seeking professional medical attention if twitching persists for more than a week, stressing that medical science should always take priority over online superstitions and remedies.
