Eyelashes

Cilia

Sensory (eye & ear)SkinHeadLeft and right

View left in 3D View right in 3D

What it is

Short, curved hairs in two to three rows along the front edge of each lid margin, absent from the lacrimal part medial to the puncta; the upper lashes curl upward, the lower ones downward.

Function

Shield the eye from dust and trigger a protective blink when touched.

Size

~100-150 upper lashes 8-12 mm long, ~50-80 lower lashes 6-8 mm; each lasts 3-5 months (represented here by 25 + 12).

Clinical note

Lashes turning in towards the cornea (trichiasis) cause scarring; repeated trachoma infection is a leading infectious cause of blindness through this mechanism.