Trichiasis

A painful condition in which the eyelashes grow in towards the eye and scratch the eyeball.

Abnormal turning in of the eyelashes that causes irritation of the eye; it may result from inflammation of the eyelids.

The growth of eyelashes inward, toward the eye, rather than outward. Trichiasis may affect all or part of an eyelid. The lashes can injure the clear outer covering of the eye (cornea), resulting in infection and possible vision loss. The condition can occur at any age and has a variety of possible causes. In children, a common cause is a congenital disorder that causes the lashes to grow vertically. Seen most often in children of Asian ancestry, the disorder is known as epiblepharon. Other causes include infection, particularly trachoma or with the herpes simplex virus, autoimmune disorders, severe inflammation (for example, vernal keratoconjunctivitis), a Complication of surgery, or burns from chemicals or heat. Trichiasis is treated surgically, either by removing the inward eyelashes and the follicles from which they grow or by repositioning the eyelids.

A condition in which the eyelashes rub against the eyeball, producing discomfort and sometimes ulceration of the cornea. It may result from inflammation of the eyelids, which makes the lashes grow out in abnormal directions, or when scarring of the conjunctiva (lining membrane) turns the eyelid inward. It accompanies all forms of entropion.

Inversion of eyelashes so that they rub against the cornea, causing a continual irritation of the eyeball. Symptoms are photophobia, lacrimation, and feeling of a foreign body in the eye. The condition is treated by cryotherapy, epilation, electrolysis, and operation, such as correcting the underlying entropion with which this condition is usually associated.