Ever wonder what would happen if you failed to recover a fallen eyelash in your eye? Well, last night I stayed up late reading in bed. I was tired and, by refusing to surrender the story I was immersed in, was forced to suffer several series of yawns and eye rubbings. Eventually the warmth of the bed mixed with the lateness of the hour (and perhaps the fact that I had been up since 5:30 am) started to take hold of me. I returned my book to its resting place and decided to succumb to one of my own. Seconds later I felt a tickle in my right eye. Having the unfortunate curse of short, stubby eyelashes I knew right away what the tickle signified. I accepted that yet another eyelash had fallen victim to being trapped on the inside of my lower eyelid. I made an effort to guide the eyelash to freedom from the confines of my warm and toasty blanket. However, I was not successful. I also was not willing to get out of bed to face the cold. The next logical step was to ignore the tickle and go to sleep, which I did. What happened to the lash? Did it find its own way out? Was its presence irritating enough to make my eyes water and flush it out? None of the above.
It became embedded in on the inside of my eyelid! I woke up this morning and felt the same tickling sensation. This time I went to the bathroom to put an end to the annoyance. What I found was a thin pink layer of – cells? Tissue? Mucosa? Whatever, the inside of my eyelid had engulfed the eyelash! But the layer was so thin that I could still see the eye lash! The outline was curved, purple and freaky. Thankfully it doesn’t tickle anymore but the fact that I know it is there has been driving me crazy. I want it out. I’ve tried using several q-tips, saline solution, and even my fingernail but it just won’t budge. I think it’s a lost cause. Therefore, I would like to extend my most sincere apologies to the lost eyelash…the one I couldn’t save. It’s like when Atreyu couldn’t save his horse from the swamp in The NeverEnding Story.
I wish I had a flying dog.
PS: I have a theory that short lashes get caught inside the eyelid more often than long lashes. I need volunteers to help with the research...
I think I have to disagree with your theory. I have ridiculously long, womanly eyelashes, and I get an eyelash stuck in my eye way more often than anybody I know. However, thankfully I have never experienced the kind of disgusting situation that you went into great detail about. Perhaps my lengthy eyelashes are easier for me to get out of my eyes once they get stuck.
ReplyDeleteSo, what you're saying is that you want to volunteer for my research experiment?
ReplyDelete