Snip from: The Necessity Of The Virtue Of Chasity And How To Attain It

Tertullian relates that a certain pagan philosopher, plucked out his eyes in order to preserve chastity. This is not lawful for us, but if we wish to avoid sins against purity, we must abstain from looking at women, and still more, from looking at them a second time.

“Look at dangerous objects”, says St. Francis De Sales, “is not so hurtful to us as to repeat the look”. And St. John Chrysostom adds, that “it is necessary to turn away the eyes whose dress or manner is immodest, but even from those whose demeaner is full of modesty”. Hence, holy Joe made a compact with his eyes not to look at any women, even at a chaste virgin because he knew from looks, evil thoughts arise. I made a covenant with my eyes that I would not so much as think upon a virgin.

Ecclesiasticus 9:5 advises us to imitate the example of Job, “gaze not upon a maiden, lest her beauty be a stumbling block to thee”. St. Augustine adds, “from looks spring evil thoughts, the thoughts produce a certain carnal delectation, though indeliberate. To this indeliberate delectation succeeds the consent of the will, and behold, the soul is lost”.