A 62-year-old man in China tried to ease his dry eyes with a tool built for sore muscles. He pressed a percussion massage gun against his closed eyelids for 10 minutes at a time, two to three times a day, for three days in a row.
About a week after he stopped, his vision began to decline, and headaches followed. By the time doctors examined him, the natural lenses in both eyes had come loose and moved forward, and pressure inside his eyes had climbed to 51 mmHg in the right eye and 49 mmHg in the left, far above normal.
Doctors in Zunyi, including the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, reported the case in BMC Ophthalmology on June 11. They describe it as "the first documented case of bilateral anterior lens luxation with secondary glaucoma strongly associated with self-application" of a massage gun to closed eyelids.
A Dry Eye Fix That Went Wrong
The man had type 2 diabetes and meibomian gland dysfunction, a common cause of dry eye in which oil glands along the eyelid stop working well. He ran the device on a medium setting of about 30 to 33 hertz, meaning 30 to 33 pulses per second.
His symptoms unfolded slowly. When he arrived for care, he had 20 days of worsening vision and 10 days of headaches, starting about seven days after his last session. His visual acuity measured 0.12 in the right eye and 0.2 in the left on the decimal scale, where 1.0 is normal vision.
Ultrasound imaging of the front of the eye explained the pressure spike. The zonules, the tiny fibers that hold each lens in place, had separated all the way around in both eyes. The loose lenses had pushed forward and completely closed the drainage angle, the channel that lets fluid leave the eye. With nowhere to go, fluid built up and pressure rose, a form of secondary glaucoma.
Diabetes May Have Made His Eyes More Vulnerable
The authors describe the link to the massage gun as a strong association rather than proven cause. They considered other explanations for loose lenses, including inherited conditions, pseudoexfoliation (a disorder that can weaken the zonules) and abnormal lens shape, and judged them unlikely.
They also suggest the patient may have been especially susceptible. In their conclusions, they point to "age-related zonular weakness or diabetes-related extracellular matrix changes" as predisposing factors. In other words, the fibers may already have been weaker than normal before the device ever touched his eyelids. That idea is a proposed explanation, and a single case cannot confirm it.
The severity is what sets this report apart. According to the authors, "Previously reported PMG-associated ocular injuries have been limited to unilateral or mild bilateral involvement." Earlier reports include a partially dislocated lens after massage gun use, published in the journal Medicine in 2022, and a traumatic cataract in one eye of a 38-year-old woman, reported in 2024. Here, both eyes were seriously affected after three days of use.
The authors add that "standardized safety guidelines for application to anatomically vulnerable regions are lacking"for these devices.
Two Surgeries and a Strong Recovery
Surgeons operated on each eye in turn. They removed the vitreous gel and the dislocated lens, then secured an artificial lens to the white wall of the eye at four points, a technique used when the natural support fibers can no longer hold a lens.
The outcome was better than the presentation suggested. At 12 months after surgery, his best-corrected vision reached 1.0 in the right eye and 0.8 in the left. His eye pressure was normal without glaucoma medication, and scans of the nerve fiber layer showed no glaucoma damage to the optic nerve. A version of the report is also available on PubMed Central.
A Warning for People Treating Dry Eye at Home
The authors aimed part of their message at the doctors who care for people with diabetes. "Clinicians should proactively guide diabetic patients with dry eye disease toward appropriate ophthalmic care to prevent harmful self-treatment," they wrote. They also said, "Manufacturers should incorporate explicit safety warnings against periorbital use," meaning use around the eyes.
Dry eye has established treatments. The National Eye Institute lists artificial tears, prescription eye drops such as cyclosporine or lifitegrast, and tiny plugs that keep tears from draining. It also notes that if severe dry eye is not treated, it can sometimes damage the cornea. The institute advises talking with a doctor when dry eye gets in the way of everyday activities.
A single case cannot show how risky brief massage gun use near the eyes is for most people. But it adds to a growing file of eye injuries linked to these devices, and it suggests that people whose eyes may already be structurally weaker could face the greatest risk.
Key Questions Answered
What happened to the man's eyes?
The fibers holding the lenses in both eyes gave way, the lenses moved forward and blocked fluid drainage, and his eye pressure rose to 51 and 49 mmHg.
How long did he use the massage gun?
About 10 minutes per session, two to three times a day, for three consecutive days.
Why does diabetes matter here?
The authors propose that diabetes-related tissue changes, along with age-related weakening, may have made the lens fibers more fragile. That is a hypothesis, not a proven cause.
Did he recover his vision?
Largely. After surgery on both eyes, his best-corrected vision was 1.0 and 0.8 at 12 months, with normal eye pressure.
What are safer options for dry eye?
Artificial tears, prescription drops, tear duct plugs and other treatments recommended by an eye doctor.
Published by Medicaldaily.com
