9 Month Old Daughter Has Lower Eyelashes Growing Inward

Dear C.,

Begin by saying that the doctor had previously said that when the fat deposit gets larger that her lower lashes would grow outward, and not show her that it is not working. That establishes the fact that the two of you had talked about this many months ago. Now you have the same problem, and you want her advice about what you can do and what specialist you need to see. That will establish that you are not going to take an 'it's no problem' answer any more.

This type of approach might help. I agree with you, something needs to be done. C. N.

Dear C.,
I have to agree with the other responses, be firm with the doctor to be referred to a pediatric eye doctor. My daughter had a blocked tear duct for the 1st year, and it
was hard to see her struggle with the itching. I got the
"she will grow out of it" too. Well, we were referred at 9 mo (HMO took 2 mo to approve) to a great doctor in Newport Beach , a wonderful kind man. The entire procedure took less time than filling out the paperwork. It took 5 minutes, and it was over. My little girl is now 7 1/2 and is fantastic!!
I wish you luck with you little girl.
If you want to contact me feel free.
____@____.com

You may want to take her to a pediatric opthalmologist. There are adults that have inward facing eyelashes as well due to the lid turning inward. It is called Entropian but it is very irritating and eyes are always watery. Scratching and rubbing from irritation can cause corneal abrasions as she gets older. For adults, the Opthalmologist would tweeze the lashes. It may be the same for children. They do use numbing eye drops. If you have HMO insurance your Primary Care Doctor would have to refer you.

God bless J.

it will grow outwards and be normal

My 3 mth old granddaughter has the same problem the pediatrician gave her a cream & said it would go away it has not she wakes up every morning with crusted eyes and i have to wipe it so she can open it im taking her in to the dr this week & i dont want any excuses either its heartbreaking cause you know it hurts. I dont want to do the surgery either they are too young its scary. Thanks for sharing T. pollard

Hi,

Both my sons had this issue. Their eyelashes would rest on top of their eyes and get goopy from the irritation.

Over time they did outgrow it (probably persisted through the first year). They are 2 and 4 and it's no longer an issue. They do get many comments on their long eye lashes.

Surgery is quite invasive and always carries some risks. So I would think about "would have to" look like. Does it mean she is in pain? is it negatively affecting her daily life?

She must have gorgeous, luscious eyelashes like my sons!

Good luck!

C.

Hello Carlonie.
I can imagine how unconfortable it can be for your young daughter.
I have an aunt who has the same problem, and unfortunately the only way she had to correct that problem was surgery.
Talk to your pediatrician, maybe there are better alternatives specially for children this age.
Good luck.

D.

The poor thing! It can be bothersome, can't it? I'm so sorry if you feel your pediatrician is brushing you off. I know as a new mom, you don't want your child to be uncomfortable and want to be able to make it go away. I would recommend a visit to a pediatric optometrist or ophthalmologist (yes, such doctors exist!), who will be able to evaluate your daughter's eyelids.

OK, I am an optometrist. I haven't evaluated your daughter, so I can't tell you what to do. But I can say that I see this often as well, especially in children with long lashes or from certain populations (I see it in Asian and Hispanics a lot).

There are two possible conditions going on here, both are related. Entropion is a condition where the eyelid turns inward and can cause the eyelashes to turn inward as well and brush against the eye. Trichiasis is a condition where the eyelashes actually grow misdirected and, as well, can grow inward. Anyway, same result in that the lashes brush against the eye. Both conditions are not uncommon at all. Very, very, very rarely are they caused by a medical condition.

Yes, as her eyelids grow, often the condition will outgrow itself and the eyelashes will start directing outward "normally". So, unfortunately, we have to just wait it out, wipe her tears or give her non-medicated artificial tears (absolutely not the red-eye "Visine/Murine/Clear-Eyes" type drops!!) if she seems irritated.

A pediatric optometrist or ophthalmologist can perform a procedure called epilation. It's just like tweezing. It has to be performed very carefully to make sure the lash does not break, which would cause even more discomfort or even make it worse and cause a keratitis (a type of eye infection) when the broken end pokes her eye. I perform this "procedure" to patients all the time, although I don't even think I could do this to my own son. Babies either love it when they realize they feel better, or they hate it.

When she's older and if the condition persists, contact lenses can shield the eye and provide relief. Also when she's older, sometimes surgery can be performed to turn the lid outward. This is called a blepharoplasty.

Anyway, you didn't want to hear doctor-speak so...ugh, unfortunately, most of the time, we just have to wait out this condition. Perhaps you can get a referral to a pediatric optometrist/ophthalmologist in your area just to check things out. I hope this helps.

Although I do not have experience with your exact problem, I do have experience with the Dr. 'brush off.' Bottom line: you, as the mother, always know when the issue needs real attention. Do not let a Dr. convince you to delay treating something you know is a problem.
Best of luck!

Hi C.,

I also had the same "problem" with my daughter. My daughters cheeks were sooo big that they were pushing her eyelids into her eyes, constantly irritating her eyes. I am happy to say that they finally grew the right way, as her cheeks finally fit her face, and we did not have to resort to surgery. She is now a beautiful 14 1/2 year old young woman.

Good Luck,

C. C.