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Eye-gouging is the act of pressing or tearing the
eye
An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system.
In higher organisms, the ey ...
using the fingers or instruments. Eye-gouging involves a very high risk of
eye injury, such as eye loss or blindness.
Eye-gouging as a fighting style was once
a popular form of sport fighting in the
back-country United States, primarily in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Eye-gouging is prohibited in modern sports. It is a serious offense in rugby football codes where it occurs rarely. It is prohibited in
combat sports
A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the opponent (''knocko ...
, but some
self-defense
Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of Force (law), ...
systems teach it. Training in eye-gouging can involve extensive
grappling
Grappling is a fighting technique based on throws, trips, sweeps, clinch fighting, ground fighting and submission holds.
Grappling contests often involve takedowns and ground control, and may end when a contestant concedes defeat. Shou ...
training to establish control, the eye-gouging itself being practiced with the opponent wearing eye protection such as swimming goggles.
Yuki Nakai
Yuki Nakai (born 18 August 1970, ) is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist. He currently teaches Shootfighting and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and is the president of the Japanese Confederation of Jiu-Jitsu.
He competed in Shooto, an early MMA ...
went on to win a bout in the
Vale Tudo Japan 1995 tournament after his opponent,
Gerard Gordeau
Gerard Gordeau (born 30 March 1956) is a Dutch former Savateur, Karateka, Kickboxer, and mixed martial artist. He is the 1991 World Champion Savate and holder of the Dutch Champion Karate title for eight consecutive years, but foremost known int ...
, performed an illegal gouge that
blinded him in his right eye.
See also
*
Enucleation of the eye
Enucleation is the removal of the eye that leaves the eye muscles and remaining orbital contents intact. This type of ocular surgery is indicated for a number of ocular tumors, in eyes that have sustained severe trauma, and in eyes that are oth ...
*
Eye for an eye
"An eye for an eye" (, ) is a commandment found in the Book of Exodus 21:23–27 expressing the principle of reciprocal justice measure for measure. The earliest known use of the principle appears in the Code of Hammurabi, which predates the wr ...
*
Eye poke
*
List of rugby union players banned for eye gouging
Eye-gouging is a serious offence in rugby union where a player uses hands or fingers to inflict pain in an opponent's eyes. The game's laws refer to it as "contact with eyes or the eye area of an opponent" but such incidents are usually referred to ...
*
Gouging (fighting style)
*
Phantom eye syndrome
Phantom eye syndrome (PES) is a phantom pain in the eye and visual hallucinations after the removal of an eye ( enucleation, evisceration).
Symptoms
Many patients experience one or more phantom phenomena after the removal of the eye:
*Phant ...
References
Further reading
* United States Marine Corps (1999). ''USMC MCRP 3-02B Close Combat''. Department of the Navy. .
* Zorbas, Vagelis
Kino Mutai: The Art of Biting and Eye Gouging ''www.fullcombat.com''. URL last accessed January 7, 2006.
External links
Human eye
Grappling
Martial arts techniques
Violence
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