Background To determine the average amount of mechanical forces applied to the lids of keratoconus patients during eye rubbing. Methods Fifty-seven patients (41 male, 16 female, average age 34.8 years) with a clinically and topographically diagnosed keratoconus and a history of eye rubbing were prospectively asked to perform their individual eye rubbing movement on a high-precision balance. The type of eye-rubbing movement and the force applied, represented in newtons (N), were recorded and analyzed. Results We detected three different types of eye rubbing. Rubbing with the fingertip was most frequent (51%), followed by rubbing with the knuckle (44%) and rubbing with the fingernail (6%). Each type of eye rubbing showed different average forces, with knuckle type eye rubbing applying significantly more force (9.6 +/- 6.3 N) on the lids than fingertip (4.3 +/- 3.1 N) and fingernail (2.6 +/- 3.3 N) types (p < 0,001 andp = 0,016, respectively). Conclusions There were major variations in the force exerted on the lids, depending on the type of eye rubbing employed. This data will help determine the forces that need to be applied in future experimental eye rubbing models.