AsiaWireA woman who went to the doctors due to a case of itchy, red eyes, was shocked to find her eyelashes were a hotbed for hundreds of parasites.
The woman, only known to Chinese media as Ms Xu, had been suffering from irritated eyes for two years, she never sought medical advice about it, up until now, as she had grown accustomed to her condition.
However when she finally went to see a doctor in Wuhan, a central Chinese province of Hubei, about her unusual case, she was told her lashes were home to more than 100 mites.
Daemonanyndel / Wikimedia CommonsFor me, it’s 99 eyelash mites too many! You’re probably wondering how in the world Ms Xu managed to accumulate so many parasites in her eyelashes – turns out her doctor was pretty curious too.
After asking her a series questions about her living conditions and personal hygiene, Xu revealed she had been sleeping with a pillow cover which she had not washed since 2012.
Let’s just break it down – she’s just admitted to a medical practitioner she hadn’t washed her pillow covers since 2012 – we’re now nearing the end of 2017! She’s basically slept on the same, unwashed pillowcase for fives years!
WikipediaDo you know how fast bacteria can spread? Microbiology Society says within 8 hours it can multiply itself to a colossal 16,777,216 separate organisms!
Xu should count herself lucky she only had over 100 mites dwelling in her eyelashes, she could’ve been dealing with a whole colony.
Having lived with the condition for two years she told her doctor she treated it with eye drops she bought at her local store.
According to one Chinese media outlet, one single eyelash was home to 10 mites.
AsiaWireXu’s doctors concluded her condition was a result of her not washing her pillowcase for five years (duh) and a lack of air coming into her room which allowed the mites to manifest to a level which would eventually cause her distress.
The Daily Mail reports Ms Xu was diagnosed with blepharitis and conjunctivitis, inflammation of the base of the eyelashes and of the eye.
Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis are commonly referred to as eyelash mites, which cling to humans and are two types of parasites, of which there 65 known species.
Research has also found old people are more likely to carry them as opposed to children, young and middle-aged people.
Since seeing her doctor, Ms Xu has reportedly made a full recovery after treatment.
Hopefully, she’s taken the correct precautions to make sure this doesn’t happen again, i.e. cleaning her pillowcase (which is obviously full of human filth after going five years without being washed) and letting some much-needed air into her room!
I wonder if she’s ever invited anyone over for a sleepover?
