- A man in Wuhan slapped his twitching right eyelid due to superstition about bad luck
- He believed a twitching right eye signals disaster, a common Chinese superstition
- Le’s eyelid twitching lasted days and did not improve with rest or warm compresses
A man's belief in a common superstition led him to try an unusual way to stop his eye from twitching, but it ended with a serious eye problem that required surgery, reported the South China Morning Post.
A superstitious man in central China suffered a retinal detachment after repeatedly slapping his twitching right eyelid because he feared it was a sign of bad luck.
The belief comes from a popular Chinese saying that a twitching left eye brings wealth, while a twitching right eye brings disaster.
The man, identified only as Le, lives in Wuhan in Hubei province. He had been dealing with a twitching right eyelid for several days. Resting his eyes and applying warm compresses did not bring any relief.
Believing the twitching was a bad omen, Le became increasingly anxious and searched the internet for an answer instead of visiting a doctor. He found claims online saying that slapping the eyelid could drive away bad luck.
Some elderly people in China also believe that placing a strip of white paper on the eyelid can stop the twitching.
According to local newspaper Changjiang Daily, Le slapped the area around his right eye for three days. Although the twitching eventually stopped, he soon developed a much more serious problem.
His vision became severely narrowed until he could only see straight ahead, while his peripheral vision on both sides disappeared completely.
Le then sought medical treatment and doctors diagnosed him with retinal detachment. After surgery, doctors were able to restore his vision.
