If your child always rubs his eyes and blinks frequently, be careful of the problem of entropion!

It is not easy for children to clearly express where they feel uncomfortable. If children like to rub their eyes and blink, it is likely that they have inverted eyelashes. If inverted eyelashes are not treated for a long time, they will damage the cornea.

1. Definition of ingrown eyelashes

Normally, eyelashes grow outward from the eyes to protect them. However, inverted eyelashes grow in the opposite direction to the normal eyeball.

2. The harm of ingrown eyelashes

Tianjin University Aier Eye Hospital kindly reminds you that eyelashes that fall toward the eyeball will come into contact and rub against the cornea, causing a series of reactions in the eyes: foreign body sensation, red eyes, tearing, photophobia. If no intervention measures are taken for a long time, it can also lead to eye congestion, conjunctivitis, corneal epithelial detachment, keratitis, and in severe cases, secondary infection can occur, and even corneal perforation can be caused, seriously affecting your life.

3. Causes of inverted eyelashes

Eyelash inversion is a common eyelid disease, which is mostly caused by various eyelid diseases, such as blepharitis, hordeolum, trachoma, etc. There is also a case of eyelash inversion caused by entropion. Children's entropion is generally congenital, manifested as the whole row of eyelashes, mainly near the root of the nose, curling inward, mostly accompanied by epicanthus, or tarsal plate hypoplasia. Some infants and young children may also suffer from entropion due to fat faces and underdeveloped nose bridges.

4. How to treat ingrown eyelashes

Many parents think that eyelashes can be removed or cut off. In fact, neither of these two methods is the best choice. In addition to being prone to infection and inflammation, self-extraction cannot solve the problem at the source. If parents find a problem, they should take their children to the doctor in time and ask a professional ophthalmologist to check and diagnose. Do not remove the eyelashes blindly.