Ophthalmotraumatophobia

Noun | off-THAL-moh-TRAW-muh-toh-FOH-bee-uh

A fear or intense feeling of discomfort, disgust, or anxiety triggered by eyes being touched, injured, manipulated, or appearing abnormal in humans or animals.

People experiencing ophthalmotraumatophobia may feel distressed by images or videos of bloody eyes, burst blood vessels, damaged eyeballs, bulging eyes, eye injuries, or objects touching or approaching an eyeball. Even the thought of someone poking, pressing, or otherwise messing with an eye may be enough to trigger an uncomfortable reaction.

Unlike a general fear of eyes, this fear specifically focuses on the vulnerability, injury, manipulation, or abnormal appearance of the eyes. It can apply to both human and animal eyes.

Examples:

1. "I can watch horror movies all day, but the second there’s a scene involving an injured eyeball, I'm covering my eyes. I think I have ophthalmotraumatophobia."
2. "Why does seeing a burst blood vessel in someone's eye make me feel physically sick? I might have ophthalmotraumatophobia."
3. "I'm fine with normal eyes, but anything involving eye injuries, needles near eyeballs, or messed-up-looking eyes makes me want to look away immediately."

Ophthalmotraumatophobia by Misticalkai October 26, 2026