OK, you know how they tell you NOT to rub your eyes? ie: Grinding your hand up and down over your closed eye? I do that, all the time, can’t stop myself it seems. Also, a lot of the time when I do this, I come away with one or more of what I assume to be eyelashes.
Question is, do I have a limited, finite amount of these eyelashes? Also, is there some greater problem I should be looking to fix if I keep rubbing my eyes until an eyelash comes loose, or is this just a bad habit?
It shouldn’t be anything to worry about. At any given time, you have eyelashes that are ready to fall out on their own and the extra pull from your fingers causes them to come loose. I sometimes grab my eyelashes and pull to get out those that are about ready to fall out. I usually get 1 - 6 from each eye.
You do have a finite amount of eyelashes but they grow and then fall out just like any other hair only to grow again. The only cause for worry is if they fall out faster than they grow back. That is probably not the case.
There’s no harm to your eyelashes in what you are doing (by your description); you are just helping eyelashes that would’ve fallen out later fall out a little sooner. Other eyelashes will grow in to replace them.
I’m more concerned by you saying that you can’t stop rubbing your eyes. Is this a new need or a longstanding one? Both eyes or one eye? Does there appear to be anything abnormal when you take a close look at the area(s) you are rubbing?
Is it itchy / sore/ swollen / red? You may want to have a doctor or nurse look at the area, if this is a new development, especially if you can see there is something wrong with the area.
Hmm… started maybe 4 years ago, as far as I can remember doing it, senior year of high school. I don’t rub like, constantly or anything, just a couple times a day. Usually instigated by my eye or the immediatly surrounding area feeling itchy, as if there was a loose hair touching. When I look into the mirror, sometimes I’ll see what looks like an eye lash pointing at an unusual angle relative to the rest, but no particular puffyness or redness of the eye itself. I suppose the next time it happens, I’ll just soak a washcloth or a paper towell in hot water and lay on the couch with it over my eyes or something, see if anything comes off on it?