Self-mutilation as a compulsive act is rare; self-inflicted injury to the eyes, other than enucleation, is also rare. Only two instances of eye banging, similar to that of the patient whose history was presented, were found in the world literature. While the patient's disorder descriptively and psy-chodynamically was obsessive-compulsive, in terms of ego function it was that of a borderline state. From the standpoint of therapy an appraisal of the nature of ego function is more pertinent than an understanding of psychodynamics.