{"id":1234,"date":"2022-12-09T13:57:37","date_gmt":"2022-12-09T18:57:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.warbyparker.com\/learn\/?p=1234"},"modified":"2026-04-02T03:12:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T07:12:30","slug":"mucus-fishing-syndrome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.warbyparker.com\/learn\/mucus-fishing-syndrome","title":{"rendered":"What Is Mucus Fishing Syndrome?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Eye boogers. Sleep. Eye crust. Rheum. The mucus in our eyes<\/a> goes by all sorts of names, and it\u2019s something we all experience. But while a little mucus in your eyes each day is perfectly normal, an excessive amount is often a sign of an underlying issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your eyes might produce extra mucus when they\u2019re irritated or inflamed. But repeatedly pulling mucus from your eye actually causes more <\/em>eye irritation, which leads to more<\/em> eye mucus production. This causes a cyclical pattern of mucus production and removal\u2014a condition known as mucus fishing syndrome or fishing eye syndrome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we\u2019ll take a closer look at this eye condition and everything you need to know about it. (Get ready to read the word \u201cmucus\u201d a lot!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

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What Is Mucus Fishing Syndrome?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Someone with mucus fishing syndrome regularly finds white stringy mucus in their eye and \u201cfishes\u201d it out\u2014typically with their finger or a cotton swab. As the mucus is pulled, it looks like long white strings coming out of the eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To someone who doesn\u2019t have mucus fishing syndrome, this might sound unappealing (to put it delicately). But for someone who has mucus fishing syndrome, removing the stringy eye mucus often feels good. Those stringy eye boogers can irritate the eye and might even cause some blurriness in vision. Removing the mucus likely provides some temporary relief. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But temporary<\/em> is the key word because repeatedly removing the strands of mucus can actually damage the cornea, causing further irritation and the return of more<\/em> mucus strings in the eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Causes Mucus Fishing Syndrome?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n

The repetitive removal of mucus strands in the eye technically causes mucus fishing syndrome (hence the \u201cfishing\u201d in the name). But someone with mucus fishing syndrome would probably wonder, \u201cWhy<\/em> is my eye producing so much mucus in the first place?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is always some underlying cause for excessive mucus in the eyes, so it\u2019s important to talk to your eye doctor about your mucus fishing habits so that they can find and address that underlying issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conditions That Cause Mucus Fishing Syndrome<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are many eye conditions<\/a> that can cause irritation or inflammation that results in excessive eye mucus production. Some of the most common underlying conditions that lead to mucus fishing syndrome include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n