The surface of the eye is the most important part of the body in contact with the world outside because the natural function and structure of the eye adjust the whole body and protect it in the environment. Eyelids and eyelashes prevent the small foreign bodies from entering eyes. Eyelashes act as a mesh or a filter and somehow stop foreign bodies and cause reflex blinking. Blinking itself enhances lacrimal pump, and the released tears wash out foreign bodies.
Of vertebrates, human beings have the highest ratio of eyelid gap to the whole body. The eyelid skin is the thinnest body skin, and eyelashes are the only hair of the eyelid. Number of eyelashes of the upper eyelid is 2 times as those in the lower eyelid. Eyelashes are replaced every 3-5 months. If you remove an eyelash, it grows 2 months later, but if you cut the eyelashes with scissors, they grow in 2 weeks.
The edge of eyelids includes eyelashes in front and specific oil glands in the back. Dysfunction of those glands and other sweat and fat glands next to eyelashes causes dry eyes, itching, irritation, and foreign body sensation. What is known as the eyelid health is actually helping proper function of the eyelid glands.
Do the following for your eyelid health:
- Wet a facial tissue with warm water, wring it out, place it on closed eyelids for 5-10 minutes, and rub it gently to smooth the eyelid skin, and remove the flakes attached to eyelids.
- Massage the eyelids gently and move your little fingers rotationally on the eyelids to release the additional secretions in the eyelid glands.
- Clean your eyelids with cotton swabs. It is better to wet the cotton swab with a diluted baby shampoo (about 3-4 drops of the shampoo in half a cup of warm water), and clean your eyelids.
- Then, clean the shampoo with a piece of cloth. If you are symptomatic (for example, you have dandruff and flake on the edge of eyelids or frequent itching and irritation of eyes), you should do the above procedure for 5 minutes 4 times a day until the symptoms disappear. After that, do the above procedure once a day for a long while.
- In case of special treatments (for example, when edge of eyelids has severe infection or inflammation) but not in usual cases, you should visit an ophthalmologist. You might need antibiotic ointments . When you wash your eyelids as described above, you’d better not wear eye make-up.