Curse believed to be cast by a malevolent glare, causing many cultures to create measures against it
The evil eye is a supernatural belief in curse, brought about by a malevolent glare, usually given to a person when one is unaware. It dates back at least to Greek classical antiquity, 6th century BC where it appeared on Chalcidian drinking vessels, known as 'eye-cups', as a type of apotropaic magic. Wikipedia