You have just gotten into a fight with another character, resulting in punches, kicks, brawls, half-nelsons, and any other fighting move you can think of. Just when the enemy has you held up, what's the best way to counter back? Poke him in the eyes, and while he's holding his eyes in pain, you make your getaway.

Essentially, this is a type of fighting style that can be used in about any form of media. The only defense to an Eye Poke is holding your hand vertically in front of your nose to block it (then again this could be countered by using the index fingers of both hands, as Curly of ''Film/TheThreeStooges'' was painfully aware).

Compare EyeScream. Contrast EyePop. See also AHandfulForAnEye.



[[folder: Anime ]]

* In ''[[LightNovel/BakaToTestToShoukanjuu Baka and Test]]'', local {{Yandere}} [[ClingyJealousGirl Shouko]] does this to her [[SelfProclaimedLoveInterest crush/"boyfriend"]] Yuuji any time she doesn't want him looking at other girls, which is practically all the time. And that's just if she doesn't have her taser handy.
* In the epilogue of ''Manga/BusouRenkin'', Tokiko does this to Kazuki after she catches him staring at her scar. This is played for laughs. Contrast with her [[EyeScream ripping the eyes]] ''[[EyeScream clean out]]'' [[EyeScream of a homunculus]] back in Chapter 6.
* The second episode of the subbed version of ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' has Tuxedo Mask pull one off with his usual rose toss.


[[folder: Film -- Animated ]]

* Susan does this to Gallaxhar in ''MonstersVsAliens''. He attempts to block, but that is complicated by the fact that he has four eyes.


[[folder: Film -- Live Action ]]

* In ''Film/ItsAMadMadMadMadWorld'', J. Russell Finch (Milton Berle) does this to Col. Algernon Hawthorne (Terry-Thomas) during a dispute.
* In ''Film/TheThreeStooges'' films, this is Moe's signature move.
** At the end of the 2000 TV biopic, Moe Howard shows a friend that the move is done by poking the ''eyebrow'' of the target, it looks real enough for the camera.
* Used against Dick Steele in ''Film/SpyHard''. He blocks them successfully but he's punched out immediately after anyway.
* Used in the climax of ''Film/DraculaDeadAndLovingIt'' by Creator/MelBrooks against the titular vampire (who had just [[TemptingFate tempted fate]].)
* ''Film/TheWaterBoy'', because "Captain Insano shows no mercy."
* Ash, in ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness'', gets a number of these in the cemetery scene, where Ash is constantly attacked by skeletons.
* Taken to the max in ''Film/KillBill''. Beatrix Kiddo plucks out Elle Driver's eye, to win their fight. Since Elle Driver only had one eye, and plucking must hurt a lot, this is very effective. We don't actually see Elle Driver being killed, but she is left thrashing around in a trailer containing a black mamba. The conclusion is obvious.
* ''Film/TheMask''. Stanley Ipkiss does this to Dorian Tyrell during their fight.
* ''Film/TheMusicBox'' - after bearing the brunt of plenty of mayhem moving a piano, Ollie angrily swats at Stanley - Stan, in an unusual bit of retaliation, peevishly pokes Ollie in the eye.
* In ''Film/DeepBlueSea'', this is how [[spoiler:Preacher]] survives being grabbed by one of the sharks. The behemoth is dragging him through the water in her huge jaws, and he grabs his cross necklace and starts to stab her. She lets him go when he damages her eye.
* ''Film/{{Misery}}'' has Paul pressing his fingers against Annie's eyes.


[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]

* [[ This]] ''{{Garfield}}'' strip featured a televised face-slapping tournament that ended with one of these from one of the athletes.


[[folder: Professional Wrestling ]]

* On commentary, Jesse Ventura was always a big advocate of going for the eyes, as it will hurt no matter how big you are.
* One of RicFlair's signature moves.
** As well as Rowdy RoddyPiper's.


[[folder: MMORPG ]]

* The "Disco Eye-Poke" is one of the first moves you can learn as a Disco Bandit in ''KingdomOfLoathing''; it lowers the opponent's attack and defense power by a small amount. It's later surpassed by the more effective "Disco Face Stab".


[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

* Poor Magnus the Red, already being one-eyed, suffered this at least twice - first from Russ himself during their fight at Prospero, then from Ragnar Blackmane while trying to manifest in material world as a Daemon. He got better, though.


[[folder: Video Games ]]

* In ''BanjoKazooie'', repeated eye-poking is the method needed to defeat a giant hermit crab in Treasure Trove Cove.


[[folder: Web Original ]]

* In ''SuburbanKnights'', during the first fight against the Cloaks, Brad pokes a Cloak in the eyes and runs away.


[[folder: Web Comics ]]

* A variation in ''WebComic/RustyAndCo'': Prestige Perkins tries this on the Illithid door-keeper Handsome D'an, who has enough good sense to step back. Too bad she still use the extended fingers to cast "Melf's Acid Arrow" right in his face.


[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries'', a magic disembodied hand is sent to attack Al. Inevitably, it pulls this move on him, but Aladdin is GenreSavvy enough to use the hand block on it.
* In a ''RobotChicken'' spoof of ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'', Spock tries to knock out Scotty with a Vulcan nerve pinch. When that doesn't work, he goes for the eye poke.
* In one WesternAnimation/TreehouseOfHorror episode where Homer becomes [[TheGrimReaper Death]], one of his favorite methods of killing people is poking them in the eye. One man blocks it with his hand ([[TouchOfDeath without dying]]), prompting Homer to wave his hand up and down to confuse him before succeeding.
* In "WesternAnimation/HillbillyHare" Bugs Bunny calls a square dance, getting his two hillbilly antagonists to follow his orders, including "Whomp him low and whomp him high - Stick your finger in his eye!"


[[folder: Real Life ]]

* This is actually a recommended method for surviving a shark attack.
** Seen in ''Film/DeepBlueSea'', and that was with a giant, mutated shark.
* You learn how to do it when practicing [[CombatPragmatist Krav Maga]].