Eyelashes are the short hairs that grow at the end of your eyelid. They serve a crucial purpose: protecting your eyes from dust and debris. The glands at the base of your lashes also help lubricate your eyes when you blink. Despite their protective function, eyelashes can sometimes become a nuisance when they fall into the eye. When this happens, you may feel irritation or itching under your eyelid. You might have the urge to rub your eye, and your eye will probably start tearing up. Fortunately, removing an eyelash from your eye is usually a simple process. Most of the time, an eyelash can simply and easily be removed without further complications. Eyelashes in your eye can feel fluttery, gritty, or sharp and stinging. You may or may not feel the eyelash fall out, and it may or may not be a result of rubbing your eyes.
You can identify that what’s in your eye is an eyelash by standing in front of a mirror, holding your eye open, and moving your eye from side to side. The eyelash may become visible, or it might not. Follow the steps below if you see or suspect an eyelash in your eye. If you’ve ever felt like there’s something in your eye and you start to tear up with discomfort, don’t panic-it’s probably just an eyelash.
If you feel like you have an eyelash in your eye but you can’t find it, there might be something else at play.
Before you touch your eye, make sure your hands are clean. Use soap and water to wash away any dirt or bacteria that could lead to infection. Always wash your hands with soap and water before touching your eye. This is the first and most important step to prevent introducing bacteria to your eye while it’s irritated. Besides the possibility of infection, having dirty hands may introduce other objects or particles to the eye.
If you wear contact lenses, take them out before attempting to remove the eyelash to prevent further irritation or damage to your eye. It's also good to remove your contacts to ensure whatever is in your eye isn't stuck to them.
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The first thing you do is rub our eye until the pesky eyelash dislodges, but that can make matters worse. Rubbing or poking your eye can cause a foreign object to scratch your cornea. The cornea is the covering of the front surface of the eye. Incorrectly attending to an object in the eye can lead to further damage, like a scratched or torn cornea.
Often your eye will flush out the eyelash on its own. The first thing you should try is to blink repeatedly. In some situations, blinky rapidly and moving your eye around may be enough to get the foreign debris out of your eye. Try blinking several times to encourage tears, or gently pull your upper eyelid over the lower one. This may help sweep the eyelash toward the corner of your eye where it’s easier to remove.
If blinking doesn’t work, stand in front of a bright mirror. Look in the mirror and relocate the eyelash. It may be on the white part of your eye or inside your eyelid. Slowly pull down your lower eyelid or lift your upper lid to see if you can spot where the eyelash is resting. Look up and down and then from side to side to find it. This can help dislodge the object from behind the eye. Make sure your workspace is sanitary.
Once you find the eyelash, use the corner of a clean tissue or a damp cotton swab to lightly touch it. Look where the eyelash is then use a cotton swab to gently touch it and remove the eyelash. Lightly dampen the swab, then try to gently brush the eyelash away from your eye. Be very careful as you pull down or lift up your eyelid. The lash should stick and lift out. Be careful not to touch your eye with your fingers or the cotton swab. However, that should be a last-ditch effort; typically, you don't want to put anything in your eye.
If the eyelash stays put, try rinsing your eye with lukewarm water or sterile saline solution. If the debris doesn't come out easily, you may need to flush the eye with saline solution or water. If it won’t come clear with water, it’s time to grab a clean cotton swab. If the eyelash is still in your eye after several attempts, you may need to flush it out with clean, filtered water or saline solution.
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Sometimes blinking isn't enough and you need to flush out your eye -- think of times when you get soap or shampoo in your eye. Since we don't all have lab-equipped eye washing stations, a little improvisation may be necessary. You can buy eye cups at a drugstore, though they aren't necessary to flush your eyes at home. Try these methods of at-home eye flushing:
If your child has an eyelash stuck in his or her eye, don’t use your fingernails or any other sharp object to try to get it. If the steps above don’t work, hold your child’s eye open and instruct them to look from side to side and up and down as you rinse it with saline solution or artificial tear eye drops. If these are unavailable, use a gentle stream of clean, lukewarm or cool water. You may also try using a wet cotton swab on the corner of the eye to try to remove it.
If an eyelash is stuck in your eye or a child’s eye for more than an hour, you may need to call in a medical professional for help. Repeated attempts to remove an eyelash from an eye can scratch and irritate the cornea, which increases the risk of eye infections. In some cases, an eyelash in your eye can result in a trip to the eye doctor. You should call in professional help if you experience any of the following:
If your eye stays red, feels painful, or becomes extra sensitive to light, it’s time to call your optometrist in Corinth, MS. Never try to force the eyelash out, because that could damage your eye. If you can’t remove the object out of your eye, it's time to visit your eye doctor for help. We can safely remove whatever’s there and check for scratches.
If you can’t remove the eyelash, it can scratch your eyelid or eye. Bacteria from your hands can be introduced to your eye while it’s irritated. You can also injure your eyelid or cornea trying to remove the eyelash using your fingernails or a sharp object. All of these factors increase your risk of conjunctivitis (pink eye), keratitis, or eyelid cellulitis.
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If you often feel the sensation of an eyelash or another object under your eyelid, you may have dry eye or an inflammation of your eyelid. If these symptoms don’t go away, you should see your eye doctor. Ingrown eyelash is a common condition where an eyelash grows underneath your eyelid instead of outward. Certain eye conditions, like blepharitis, can make an ingrown eyelash more likely to occur. If your eyelashes are falling out often, you may be experiencing hair loss or an infection on your eyelid. Eyelashes falling out can also be a sign that you’re allergic to a cosmetic product.
To prevent getting an eyelash stuck in your eye, keep your hands and face clean and avoid rubbing your eyes.
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