Vodka eyeballing is the practice of consuming

vodkas Vodka ( pl, wódka , russian: водка , sv, vodka ) is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impuritie ...

by pouring it into the

eye socket In anatomy, the orbit is the cavity or socket of the skull in which the eye and its appendages are situated. "Orbit" can refer to the bony socket, or it can also be used to imply the contents. In the adult human, the volume of the orbit is , of ...

s, where it is absorbed through the mucous membranes of the region into the bloodstream. Reports of this practice as a new

fad A fad or trend is any form of collective behavior that develops within a culture, a generation or social group in which a group of people enthusiastically follow an impulse for a short period. Fads are objects or behaviors that achieve short- ...

surfaced in the media beginning in 2010, as hundreds of clips of persons purporting to engage in the practice were posted on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

. The practice is promoted by advocates as causing rapid intoxication; which is untrue, since the amount of alcohol absorbed by the eye is low. Some observers maintained that the phenomenon was not a real craze, describing the coverage as a media feeding frenzy and part of "a long history of trend pieces that come out of nowhere". The initial press coverage in British tabloid ''

The Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...

'' was criticized for basing its entire story on an injury from a single student stunt, and extrapolating this into a "trend" after a

search showed hundreds of similar videos. Journalist Michael Strangelove said that the videos, which date back to 2006, seemed genuine and should not be dismissed as a deceptive "prank" against the media. The 2000 comedy film ''

Kevin & Perry Go Large ''Kevin & Perry Go Large'' is a 2000 British teen coming of age sex comedy film based on the Harry Enfield sketch Kevin the Teenager. The film was written by Dave Cummings and Harry Enfield and directed by Ed Bye. Enfield, Kathy Burke and Louisa ...

'' includes a character called Eyeball Paul who engages in the practice. The practice formed part of the fictional plot of the February 6, 2013 episode of the Canadian TV series ''

Trauma Trauma most often refers to: * Major trauma, in physical medicine, severe physical injury caused by an external source * Psychological trauma, a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event *Traumatic i ...

'', leading to a young woman receiving (successful) cornea transplants.

Adverse effects

Vodka eyeballing can cause

corneal The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Along with the anterior chamber and lens, the cornea refracts light, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical power ...

abrasions and scarring, promote

angiogenesis Angiogenesis is the physiological process through which new blood vessels form from pre-existing vessels, formed in the earlier stage of vasculogenesis. Angiogenesis continues the growth of the vasculature by processes of sprouting and splitting ...

in the eye (and thereby cause loss of vision), and increase the risk for eye infections, and has been condemned by the

American Academy of Ophthalmology The American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy) is a professional medical association of ophthalmologists. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Its membership of 32,000 medical doctors includes more than 90 percent of practicing ...

References

{{Alcohol and health Drinking culture Alcohol abuse

Adverse effects

See also

References