Question
Dear Mrs. Placentra Johnson,
I have a strange question. I have been traveling a lot over the past couple of days and with a terrible head cold. My ears have been getting painfully pressurized on the airplane and so I have been repeatedly plugging my nose, closing my eyes and blowing really hard to pop my ears. I know this is a common practice to pop ears, but I always feel like I am straining my eyes and am worried about the effects this could have on my vision. Could this have potentially damaging effects and if so, what could happen if someone does this a lot or if they blow too hard?
Thanks!
Answer
I don't know how hard you are blowing, but that is supposed to be bad for your nose! As for your eyes, I simply cannot imagine blowing hard enough to damage your eyes but as you say you feel strain, it could be putting pressure on them. In this case, I suppose the logical worst case scenario is a detached retina. I have never heard of this happening from a person blowing their nose, but it is possible. Much as I don't like to see people use drugs unless they really need them, couldn't you just take a decongestant to minimize the head pressure? (my apologies if you are already taking them and still have this symptom)
