Table of contents:
- What causes trichiasis?
- What are the symptoms that can be caused by this condition?
- So, how do you fix it?
What would it feel like if your lashes that were supposed to grow out were actually growing inwards, towards the eyeballs? Even though it sounds strange, this condition is very possible. In medical terms, ingrown lashes are known as trichiasis.
Trichiasis will make your eyes feel like they are prickling. Not infrequently, this will cause pain to irritation. Even if not treated promptly, it can cause serious eye damage.
So what causes ingrown lashes and how to deal with it? Find out the answer in this article.
What causes trichiasis?
Ingrown lashes are a rare condition. Sometimes doctors don't find a reason why someone's eyelashes can grow the wrong way. This condition is referred to as idiopathic. That is when the eyes appear healthy, but the lashes tend to grow inward.
Generally, trichiasis can occur due to eye infections, inflammation of the eyelids, autoimmune conditions and trauma due to injury. Here are some conditions that increase a person's risk of trichiasis:
- Blepharitis. Conditions that can cause infection and swelling of the eyelids and crossed eyes. When this happens, the hair follicles can grow in the wrong direction and cause trichiasis.
- Entropion. The lids lose their elasticity or looseness, forming an inward crease, causing the lashes to grow vertically. Usually this condition is more common in adults because it is related to age.
- Injury, if the eyelid is torn or injured, causing the position of the lashes to change and grow inward. This can occur as a result of surgical repair of injured eyelids.
- Distichiasis, an additional row of lashes on the eyelid, where one or both can bend towards the eyeball.
Trichiasis is more common in adults, but children can experience it too. In fact, some people can be born with the condition of the eyelashes that grow inward. While some other people can experience this condition due to the habit of rubbing the eyes too tightly so that the lashes get into the eyeballs.
What are the symptoms that can be caused by this condition?
Those who experience trichiasis often complain of symptoms such as:
- Red eye
- Watery eyes
- Blurred vision
- Pain around the eyes
- Want to always scratch your eyes because you feel there are grains of sand sticking around the eyeballs of your eyes.
The lashes that grow in this direction will cause the lashes to stick to the conjunctiva and cornea. As a result, this will cause discomfort such as pain, even irritation.
If this irritation occurs for a long time it will cause corneal abrasion. Inflammation and loss of vision (blurred vision) can also occur due to this condition.
So, how do you fix it?
Although it rarely happens, the good news is that there are many ways to treat trichiasis.
- Artificial tears and ointments. Lubrication using artificial tears and ointments is the first step to reduce irritation due to lash friction before it gets worse.
- Plucking lashes. The doctor will use small forceps to remove the ingrown lashes. Then, the doctor will put an anesthetic right on the patient's eyeball and pull the lashes from the follicle. This is one of the most common ways doctors treat trichiasis without causing pain. However, this procedure is only temporary.
- Operation. There are three ways you can do this. The first is ablation, this surgery is done with a laser to remove the eyelashes and hair follicles. The second is electrolysis, a technique for removing eyelashes using electricity. Finally, cryosurgery, a technique for removing eyelashes by freezing the lashes and then crushing them.
