EYE-POKING

Eye-poking, -rubbing and -pressing are often incorrectly grouped toget her because of the assumption that they represent variations of the sa me self-stimulating behaviour. This prospective study of 21 children s hows that eye-poking is a distinct, chronic, stereotyped, self-injurio us act seen mainly among severely mentally disabled individuals, who m ay or may not be visually impaired. Eye-poking, which leads to intense , self-induced pain, is a harmful behaviour because it can result in p ermanent visual loss and even in total blindness. The cause is unclear , although it is probably multifactorial. The treatment is exceedingly difficult. Further studies are needed to develop specific management techniques to prevent eye-poking, which adds to the physical and emoti onal burden on the caregivers.