Eyelash Creatures - Gross or Interesting?
@cheatedaphrodite (810)
Philippines
July 22, 2011 11:16am CST
Do you find it gross or interesting when you learn that almost 95% of people have eyelash creatures called Demodex folliculorum, or the demodicid? These are tiny mites that lives in pores and hair follicles often in the roots of our eyelashes. They have a worm like appearance.Inflammation and infection often result when large number of them lives in a single follicle. These mites have tiny claws, and needle-like mouth-parts for eating skin cells.
Though I learned about this when I was in college, I still can't imagine having mites in my own eyelashes. Eeeewwww. Thinking about this is giving me goosebumps..
2 people like this
6 responses
@thetis74 (1525)
•
23 Jul 11
Now I see. That must explain why my sister gets this red inflammation close to the lashes. Or the reason why it gets itchy sometimes. It's just horrible.
@_sketch_ (5742)
• United States
22 Jul 11
Neither. If I have them, then I have them. If 95% of people have them, then chances are I do. They are natural. And I've literally never heard of anyone getting an infection from them like you said, so it's probably pretty rare. I wash my face regularly, so hopefully that will keep them from overpopulating. I don't know. I am not very interested in them either.
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
22 Jul 11
I know from time to time you can get sty's, which are bumps on your eyelids, of course while we're sleeping we get eye mucus, which is tears and such that dry up around our eyes. I don't really care about the eye mites as well we've had them for so long and they don't bother us. There's probably a lot of things living on or around our bodies that we don't realize, and it's not hurt us, so why worry?
@allyoftherain (7208)
• United States
22 Jul 11
Well I knew there were all sorts of nasty little microscopic creatures that live in and on the body, so even though I didn't know of these critters by name... it hardly surprises me. Does it creep me out? Umm... not really. If they were big critter or they were really harmful, then I think they would. But they seem tiny and harmless, so no. It doesn't bother me.
@RBBantiles (347)
• Philippines
22 Jul 11
Hahahah... We are the ecological niche of other life forms. I accept that fact, for as long as the different life forms, including me of course, are in dynamic balance, and they remain their size, and I remain my size. I would imagine that they also help, in ways unfathomable, to make us human. Who knows, they might be necessary for making us wink or blink...
