How Long Can An Eyelash Stay In Your Eye?

The eyes are the most sensitive and delicate organ of the body. And to protect the eyes, eyelashes play a significant role. It prevents dust, dirt, sweat, and any other molecules to enter our eyes. And our eyelids remove these tiny particles, keeping our eyes clean and safe. But your eyelash has a natural shedding process for which sometimes they might shed from the eyelids and stuck on your eyes. Well, it is not an uncommon scenario since all of us have faced similar incidence multiple times in our life.

If you also have a trapped eyelash in your eye for days now, I know the experience can be very unpleasant and discomforting. But, if you do not take the necessary precaution right now, this eyelash can do additional harm to your eyes. In this article, I am going to explain how long can an eyelash stay on your eye to keep your eye safe, what happens if there is an eyelash on your eye for an extended period, and how you can remove the eyelash from the eyes easily.

How Eyelashes Get Into Your Eyes?

Our eyelash has a growth cycle after which every eyelash falls off. The phase starts with the Anagen phase or growth phase lasting for 30-45 days in which your lashes grow. After that phase, comes the Catagen phase which can last for 2 weeks when your lash stops growing. Then, comes the Telogen phase which is the resting phase for your eyelash. And this phase can last up to 100 days. After this phase, your eyelashes fall out and start a new anagen phase. So, eyelash shedding is a pretty normal thing.

How Long Can An Eyelash Stay on Your Eye?

If an eyelash gets stuck in your eyes, it can last for several days but it usually stays for 2 days in your eyes. But the longer it stays on your eyes, the more it is going to irritate your eyes. It will create a lot of discomfort in your eyes. You might not see the shedding of the eyelash, but the eyelash will feel sharp and stingy if it is stuck in your eyes, leading your eyes to tears. But you need to be careful with your eyes if the eyelash is still there in your eyes for multiple days. If you cannot remove that at all, try seeking medical help.

Potential Side Effects If An Eyelash Remains on Your Eyes For A Longer Period

If an eyelash stays on your eyes for a longer period, it can lead to many side effects to address the fact that your eyes are affected by some objects, and the eyes need to protect. The eyelash might be hiding underneath or above your eyelids, creating constant discomfort to your eyes. But if you are unable to remove the eyelash, it can also lead to some serious side effects. Such as:

1. Watery Or Teary Eyes: As a general response to your stuck eyelash in the eye, your eye will try to remove the eyelash by making it watery or teary. It is a protective system for your eyes. It will help the eyelash to go out itself.
2. Irritation: Irritation is the most common side effect that you can see usually. The eyelash will create a scratchiness to your eye cornea. This will cause irritation and redness in your eyes. But you should not rub your eyes vigorously in these cases. It can increase the discomfort, itchiness, and redness in your eyes.
3. Blurred Vision: If an eyelash is stuck in your eyes and you continuously rub them, it may cause blurred vision. It happens when you are potentially rubbing your eyelash to the cornea and scratching them. That makes the vision distorted or blurred for some moments.
4. Potential Infections:  Since there can be inflammation in your eyes If an eyelash stays on your eyes for a longer period, it will increase the chance of having infections in your eyes. Bacteria can easily affect the already swollen and vulnerable eyes and cause a corneal ulcer. If the corneal ulcers get seriously bad, it can even lead to vision loss.
5. Inflammation: If an eyelash stays on your eyes for a longer time, it can cause inflammation or swelling in your eyes. It can also create itchiness and redness in your eyes. Sometimes, it can be painful as well. If your eyelids get swollen, it will make it harder to open your eyes to get the eyelash out.

How To Remove A Stuck Eyelash From Your Eyes?

If your eyelash stays on your eyes for a long time, it can potentially cause harm to your eyes. You should always take action as soon as you feel something irritating in your eyes. To remove the eyelash, you should consider the following steps:

1. Properly Wash Your Hands: Your eyes are very sensitive and delicate, so you should never touch your eyes with dirty hands. First, wash your hands thoroughly to remove the dirt and germs there.
2.  Remove The Contact Lenses: If you have any contact lenses, gently remove them. If you want to remove the eyelash with the contact lenses on, it can cause additional irritation to your eyes.
3. Blink Your Eyes: Blink your eyes to see if the eye naturally removes the eyelash with the tears on its own.
4. Check Closely in The Mirror: If you still feel irritation in your eyes, take a mirror and look closely underneath and above your eyelids to check if the eyelash is hiding under them.
5. Use A Cotton Bud for Under Lid: If you can see the eyelash underneath your lower eyelid, take a cotton bud and carefully place that on the eyelash. After that, gently remove the eyelash.
6. Roll Your Eyes and Blink For Upper Lids: But if the eyelash is stuck under the upper eyelid, then the process can be a little trickier. For removing that eyelid, you have to pull your upper eyelid toward the lower one. Then you have to move your eyeballs and blink several times to move the eyelash to the lower eyelid so that you can easily remove that following the above process.
7. Use A Cotton Ball or Swab: If the eyelash is towards the center of your eyes, you have to take a cotton ball or cotton swab and wet it with water. Then, gently touch that on the white part of your eye to grab the eyelash. Be very careful with the process, if you hurry you can potentially harm your eyes.
8. Give A Warm Press: Sometimes, a warm cloth also works to remove anything causing irritation to your eyes. To apply this, you can take a normal cotton cloth and soak that in warm water. Then press the water down and place that cloth on your closed eyes. Don’t rub them, just give a little pressure with your fingers on your eyes. You can also take a cotton swab instead of cotton balls.
9. Give A Water Flush: If all these processes fail to remove the eyelash from your eyes, directly splash water on your open eyes. It will wash away anything that is causing irritation to your eyes.

Do Your Eyelashes Dissolve If They Stay In Your Eyes?

Eyelashes are made from insoluble proteins called keratin, similar to our hair. It is quite durable, and it cannot dissolve. They are also resistant to tears and moisture. It also makes them unable to get absorbed or destroyed by even the white blood cells of our body. Even the eyelash cannot go behind the eyeballs if it is stuck for a very long time. The muscles and tissues from our eyes prevent anything from going behind the eyes from the front portion. Most of the time, the eyelashes will float on the surface of the eyeballs. It can also move underneath the upper or lower eyelids. So, if an eyelash is stuck in your eyes, do not freak out. You just need to carefully remove that as soon as possible to avoid any potential side effects in your eyes.

7 Things You Should Avoid If The Eyelash Is In Your Eyes

A single stuck eyelash can cause a lot of damage to your eyes. To avoid any further harm, you should consider avoiding these factors:

1. Keep Your Calm: Do not get nervous and keep yourself calm. Your eyes are very delicate and need gentle care.
2. Don’t Rub: Do not try to rub your eyes at all let alone rub vigorously or scratch.
3. Don’t Touch with Dirty Hands: Do not touch your eyes without cleaning your hands properly.
4. Remove The Contact Lenses: Do not try to remove the eyelash if you have your contact lenses on.
5. Never Use Any Sharp Objects: Do not use any sharp things like needles, tweezers, etc. to remove the eyelash.
6. Do Not Delay: Do not think that the eyelash will go away itself and do nothing about it. Keeping it on your eyes for days can be pretty damaging. Act promptly when you feel like there is an eyelash stuck in your eyes.
7. Avoid Doing Sensitive Work: Do not do any sensitive job while you have irritation from the stuck eyelash, it can lead to a serious accident.

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When You Should Seek Medical Treatment For A Stuck Eyelash?

Although you usually do not see cases like that, if your eyelashes are stuck for a long-time creating irritation, it can lead to severe damage and you should seek medical treatment immediately after you see signs like these:

• The watering and tearing are not stopping even after the eyelash is removed.
• Your eyes remain red or inflamed for several hours after the eyelash is out.
• If the mucus is coming from your eyes in different colors like yellow or green.
• If your eyes are bleeding.

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Final Thoughts

Eyelash in your eyes is a pretty usual scenario. You can easily remove the stuck eyelash by yourself by following the measures I have explained above. But if you cannot, and your eyelash stays on your eyes, it can lead to many damaging conditions for your eyes. Your eyelash can stay in your eyes for a maximum of 1-2 days, but if the side effect becomes severe then you also might need to seek medical treatment for this. Try to remove the eyelash as soon as you feel the irritation in your eyes. Do not rub your eyes, touch your eyes with dirty hands, remove the lash while you have your contact lenses on, or use sharp objects near your eyes to avoid any further damage caused by the eyelash. If you still do not feel right about your eyes, do not hesitate to go to an eye specialist for a safety checkup.

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