Keratoconus is a progressive and bilateral corneal disease with the characteristics of the protrusion of the dilated and central thinning cornea.Keratoconus often causes myopia and irregular astigmatism, and corneal edema and scarring in the late stage, leads to significant vision loss, and brings patients psychological pressure and economic burden.Eye rubbing is an important risk factor of keratoconus.Many studies suggest that eye rubbing is related to the occurrence and development of keratoconus.Different frequency and intensity of eye rubbing have different effects on the cornea.In susceptible population, eye rubbing causes severer damage to the cornea and more serious consequences.Eye rubbing damages the cornea by direct mechanical action, raising corneal temperature and intraocular pressure and releasing inflammatory factors resulting in cell apoptosis.Avoiding eye rubbing is of great significance in delaying the development of keratoconus.Reducing the rubbing time and frequency of patients with keratoconus by treating the primary disease causing eye rubbing and distracting them can reduce the occurrence and slow down the progression of keratoconus, and the life quality of patients can be improved.In this review, the role of eye rubbing in the etiology of keratoconus was elucidated to provide reference for the treatment and prevention of keratoconus.