The latest craze sweeping through Japan is ‘oculolinctus’ – eyeball licking as

The latest craze sweeping through Japan is ‘oculolinctus’ – eyeball licking as an expression of affection between young lovers.

However, it has led to a surge in cases of eye infections and can even cause blindness, doctors have warned.

The bizarre fetish, which is also known as ‘worming’, was uncovered by the Japanese website, Naver Matome, which revealed that videos of eyeball licking have been posted on YouTube.

But eyeball licking has not only taken off in Japan.

However, the practice is not without its dangers – it can transmit the bacteria which causes conjunctivitis, Medical Daily reports.

If the person doing the eyeball licking has the herpes virus, that can be passed on as well.

Naver Matome discovered that the craze came to the attention of one school in Japan when it was noticed that up to ten children in each class arrived at lessons wearing eye patches.

Dr Phillip Rizzuto, from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, added that eyeball licking can cause blindness as the bacteria found in the mouth can damage eye tissue.

www.dailymail.co.uk