Treating Lice in Eyebrows and Lashes

Did you know that your eyelashes are vulnerable to lice infestation? Head lice are tiny insects that live on the scalp but occasionally are found living on the eyebrows and eyelashes. Because head lice spread easily from person to person, cases are seen often in schools, affecting all socioeconomic groups. Do you know how to spot eyelash lice?

Overview

While lice are not dangerous, they happen to be extremely annoying and contagious. Lice are wingless insects that feed off of the blood and skin of people. An adult louse may attach itself to the skin around the eyelashes. then lay eggs or nits. The nits are attached to the shaft of the hair itself and hatch six to 10 days later. Within 15 days, the nits grow into adults and lay more eggs.

Types of Lice

Lice varieties are categorized based on their shape and area of infestation.

• Pediculosis capitis: This lice variety is usually found on the head. It has an elongated body type and is the most common organism found in childhood lice infestations.
• Pediculosis corporis: Similar to Pediculos capitis, this type of lice usually infects the hair on your body, particularly the abdomen.
• Pediculosis pubis: This louse has a crab-shaped body and is found in the pubic regions and at the base of pubic hair. The infestation of lice on the eyelashes and eyelids is a manifestation of pubic louse infestation.

A 2009 study found that eyelash lice are most commonly pubic lice that are spread by touching the pubic area and then touching the face and eyes.

Symptoms

The most obvious symptom of a lice infestation is itching. People with eyelash lice may experience the following symptoms:

• Sudden extreme itchiness of the eyelid margin
• Feeling ill or tired
• Low-grade fever
• Small irritated red spots from lice bites
• Tearing
• Eye redness
• Conjunctivitis

Diagnosis

You can probably tell if you have eyelash lice by looking closely at home. You should be able to detect them by looking through a magnifying glass. You might see tiny white-colored eggs at the roots of your eyelashes and will appear white.

Your healthcare provider will be able to diagnose eyelash lice by using a slit lamp biomicroscope to examine your eyes. Under high power magnification, the crab-like lice can be seen at the base of the eyelashes. Interestingly, their bodies appear clear—so at first glance the healthcare provider may only see blood flowing through their bodies.

Treatment

Getting rid of eyelash lice is not usually an easy task. You will need to find the source of the lice which may include your pillow or bedding. Keep in mind that lice are very easily spread from person to person, so you'll want to stay away from close contact with other people until you completely eliminate it.

Treatment of eyelash lice is focused on physically removing the lice with fine forceps. The nits must also be removed, if possible. Prescription ophthalmic-grade petrolatum ointment may be prescribed (it differs from over-the-counter petroleum jelly, like Vaseline). It should be applied to the margins of the eyelids two to four times a day for 10 days.

Commercially prepared chemicals and shampoos are not generally recommended to treat eyelash lice for fear of causing irritation or damage to the eye.