Videos of people practicing eyeball licking have appeared on the Internet for several years. However, the British newspaper The Guardian stated that this oddity has recently become popular in Japan. Apparently, the music video for the song Spiral Lie by the band Born, which contains eye-catching close-up footage, was the mastermind behind this.

Japanese website Naver Matome reports that the trend primarily affects second-grade elementary and middle school students. A teacher testified that some students’ eyes were usually covered with blindfolds due to infections.

Just like in the internet era, eye licking quickly spread to other countries as well. It got a great response, especially in America, where many curious teenagers tried it. Therefore, Huffington Post editor Andy Campbell decided to try it too, so he could share his experience with readers.

“It’s strange when something touches your eye and it doesn’t hurt. I’m just in a passive position, I myself don’t lick anyone’s eyes. “I don’t see anything sexual in it, but you have to be close to other people,” Campbell said.

Doctors are horrified by this trend and hope it does not spread further. Eye licking can cause serious vision problems.

“It’s pointless. Lumps on the tongue can cause abrasions on the cornea. And if the person doesn’t rinse their mouth, they could transfer, for example, some spices into the eye,” ophthalmologist David Granet told the Huffington Post.

In addition, the strange lifestyle of teenagers can cause conjunctivitis and even, according to some experts, the risk of blindness. However, so far it seems that the younger generation has not heeded these warnings and continues to endanger their health.