Causes of Trichiasis

Marginal Entropion

which is when the skin on which the eyelashes grow appears to be turned inwards. A common reason for this is due to blepharitis or meibomian gland disease , a chronic inflamation of the eyelid. Although anyone is susceptible to having ingrowing eyelashes, marginal entropion is normally an age related problem.

Injury or trauma to the eyelid, which when healed has encouraged the eyelid to turn inwards. This will then affect the direction of the growth of the eyelashes.

Distichiasis

is a condition in which there is an extra row of lashes. These may then begin to grow inwards. This is caused by infection such as infected eyelash follicles which could be caused by contaminated cosmetics or contact lens misuse or congenital defects.

How Can You Tell If You Have Trichiasis?

• Irritation of the eyeball causing you to rub continuously and leading to watering and redness.

• Discomfort when looking at a bright light.

• Inflammation

• Visual Disturbances

How Can It be Treated?

Never try to treat this condition yourself. You must go to your doctor or ophthalmologist for advice. The treatment may involve

• Lubricated Eyedrops

• Removal with forceps

• Electolysis

• Laser

• Surgery

Loose Powder Eye Shadow

Loose powder eye shadow has been developed by a number of cosmetic companies to provide a more vibrant and versatile makeup to enhance the eyes than everyday dense eye shadows. Some have been mixed with fillers or other ingredients that add to the ease of application.

Eye Shadow Pigments

Eye shadow pigments are also fine powder based  and, in most cases, pure and unadulterated with any kind of filler. Some pigments can be used as makeup for other areas of the face.

In short, there is no basic difference between pigments and powders sold as eye makeup, only the manufacturers packaging, additional filler ingredients and, above all, the marketing strategy for their product. However, pigment or powder has the advantage over traditional eye shadow makeup in that it can be applied in a more defined way although it must be applied with considerable care to avoid spilling onto other areas of the face where it is not wanted.

Most, but not all, pigments and powders have high colour intensity or shimmer, with variations in both texture and quality. What will suit one person may not suit another so don’t be afraid to experiment with brands as well as colours until you feel comfortable with your choices.

The art of applying pigments and powders takes some mastering, some are easier than others but taking the time to get familiar with the technique will be rewarded by the stunning effects that you can create around your most noticed feature.

How to apply pigment and loose powder

• First use a base primer or your usual dense eye shadow. This will prepare your lids and make it easier for the loose or pigment powder to get a fix. Which one you use will depend upon the effect you wish to obtain.

• Use a densely packed soft bristled brush with a tapered rounded edge to dip into the powder or pigment and then gently blow or tap off any surplus.

• Brush across your lid while carefully blending in.

Using a damp brush packed with pigment on or around the lids can give a bright, ‘in your face’ bold look. With an angled eyeliner brush you can achieve a very colourful and personalised eyeliner effect.

Always apply with a brush and not your fingers otherwise you could end up with a very messy face.

Eye shadow pigments have many other makeup uses because of their purer form. They are available in a large variety of colours that will not deteriorate in time and they represent, in general, better value for money than loose powder eye shadow. Both pigment and loose powders can be purchased in inexpensive packs of 12, 24 or more colours so experimenting to find those that suit you best is not going to break the bank.

After all, when you say that the baby poked its elbow into your eye or use some similar innocent sounding excuse, it may not always be believed as the true reason. That you got involved in a fight will always be at the back of people’s mind. Not something that most potential employers, or customers, or the girl friends’ parents would consider a plus point for your character.

The problem is that it is virtually impossible to disguise a black eye from any body looking you straight in the face from a short distance away, particularly if you only received the black eye in the last day or two.

Cover A Black Eye With A Pad

At the risk of stating the obvious, a medical eye pad with a large enough piece of lint, or similar, underneath to cover the bruised and swollen area is about the only way to completely disguise a black eye.

In order to get away with this you must also be an accomplished liar as you have to come up with a story such as having a scratched cornea caused by grit, a painful stye or a bad case of conjunctivitis.The last resort is extra large lensed sunglasses!

Use Ice Packs to Reduce That Black Eye

There are several techniques to cover the discoloration that are more suitable for the ladies but unlikely to be practical for most men and that is the use of make-up.

First things first, it will be necessary to reduce the swelling that accompanies the black eye before any make up can be an effective disguise. Most will have heard of applying a raw steak to the area but that only worked because of its coldness so an ice pack will do the same job of constricting the blood vessels which reduces the internal bleeding that causes the swelling and black and blue discolouration.

Just put some crushed ice in a plastic bag and apply to the eye area by taping it to the forehead to avoid undue pressure on the eye itself. Leave it on for ten to fifteen minutes every two hours. Using a bag of frozen peas will do just as well, otherwise gently apply cold compresses for ten minutes at a time.

Do Not Take Aspirin For Black Eye Pain Relief

If you need to alleviate any pain do not use aspirin as it is an anticoagulant making the blood slower to clot and for the black eye to heal. The recommended alternative is Acetaminophine which will not delay the healing process.

Makeup Disguise

Go Easy on the Make Up But Thicken the Lashes

When applying make up to the affected area be careful not to be tempted to cover it up by applying too much concealer as it will only look caked on. Use a good liquid concealer in a yellow to green shade to contrast the red and blue of the bruised area. Apply by gently using the finger tip and working from the centre outwards to the edge of the bruise. Allow it to dry and apply a second coat if you feel it necessary.

Both eyes should look the same so apply the concealer to the good eye to match up. Finish the disguise with with a final light coat of base make up that matches your skin tone. Care must be taken not to remove the concealer so be very gentle when using the base make up.

Attention can be drawn away from the bruised area by emphasising the lashes. A good tip to thicken them up is to first apply a thick coat of mascara, followed by baby powder on the forefinger brushed on to the lashes before applying another coat of mascara.

Use a compact puff and eye liner on the bottom lid and a light colored eye shadow on the upper lids, match the color of your blush or use light purples or blues, both work well.

Products that are helpful are

Total Block Cover Up Make Up

Dermablend Quick Fix Concealer

CoverBlend Multi Function Concealer

How Long Will My Black Eye Last?

On average a black eye will last about a week during which time it will turns from blue/red to green to yellow before becoming healed. You should avoid putting any strain, such as heavy lifting or blowing your nose too hard as this can cause the affected area to swell up even more.

Do be aware that if as a result of a black eye you experience a pain in the eye, floaters in your field of vision, become sensitive to light or have blurred or double vision you should seek urgent medical advice. A detached retina may occur and that will need immediate attention or you may risk blindness.

Other causes relate to short sightedness and age. The fluid in the eyeball can undergo a change when we reach 50-60 years old making the eye more susceptible to this problem.

Sign Of A Detached Retina

The early sign is the appearance usually in the corner of the field of vision of the affected eye of a crescent shaped black area that can within a short time spreads, obliterating all the eye’s vision.

What To Do If You Suspect A Detached Retina

The key is to recognize the symptom as soon as possible, treat as an emergency and seek immediate help at your nearest eye clinic. The good news is that in most cases the lesion can be repaired virtually painlessly by laser treatment.

 Dangers If Not Treated Immediately

Although not always directly related to eye redness this condition can lead to loss of sight in the affected eye unless the symptoms are recognized and immediate treatment is carried out.

As a point of interest many boxers have had their careers curtailed by the governing bodies after suffering from a detached retina.

For example, if the white of the eyes appear yellow it may, in many cases, mean that there is a problem associated with the liver or, less frequently, anemia, or malaria.

Jaundice, hepatitis, liver and pancreas cancers,  and gallstones are among the medical conditions that yellowing of the eye white is a symptom so it is best to be on the safe side and seek urgent medical opinion if you notice any yellow discolor. Prompt attention may restore the white of the eye to its normal healthy appearance.

Problems With Eye Whites

The main problem experienced with the white of the eyes is when they become bloodshot or take on a reddish inflamed condition. This is caused by a number of reasons.

• Smoking or being in a smoky atmosphere for any length of time.
• Having a cold or flu.
• Being exposed to cold winds without goggles or any other eye protection.
• Lack of sleep.
• Too much alcohol.
• Dry eye (symptom is excessive eye watering – see your opthalmologist)
• Exposure to sun.
• Dust or grit in the eye.
• An infection.
• Too long at the computer causing eye strain.
• Reading in a poor light.

Blood Vessels In the Eye Enlarge

What happens is that the blood vessels underlying the surface of the white of the eye become enlarged and visible, sometimes bursting to form an unattractive, painless red blotch or spot.

Normally you can expect the blood spot to disappear within a week or two without treatment although there is little effective treatment that will hurry the process.

Conjunctivitis, It Could Be Sexually Transmitted

Conjunctivitis is a highly infectious and highly irritating inflammation of the eye that is commonly known as pink eye. It is caused by a virus or bacteria and can be sexually transmitted by chlamydia or gonorrhoea.

Normally the infection will clear up within ten days to a fortnight. If caused by a sexually transmitted infection it may last for several months.

Dealing with conjunctivitis is not easy. In either case, if pink eye occurs seek medical advice as soon as possible, try not to rub the eyes and do not share a towel, pillow or anything that may pass the infection on to others.