HOW TO

Epilation of eyelashes

Remember!

Before performing any eye procedure:

• Wash your hands (and afterwards too)

• Position the patient comfortably with his/her head supported

• Avoid distraction for yourself and the patient

• Ensure good lighting

• Always explain to the patient what you are going to do.

Indications

• To remove ingrowing eyelashes (trichiasis)

• To prevent corneal abrasion

You will need

• Magnification (magnifying loupe)

• Torch or flashlight

• Gauze swabs

• Local anaesthetic eye drops

• Epilation forceps

• A helper

Preparation

• Explain the procedure and advise the patient that it will cause some very brief discomfort

• The patient, helper, and examiner should be positioned appropriately. The helper can hold the torch (Figure 1).

Method

• Instil the local anaesthetic eye drops

• Using magnification, identify the eyelashes which need epilating (Figure 2)

For lower eyelashes:

• ask the patient to look up, fix his/her gaze, and keep still

• with an index finger, gently hold down the lower eyelid

For upper eyelashes:

• ask the patient to look down, fix his/her gaze, and keep still

• with a thumb, gently ease the upper eyelid up against the orbital rim

• With the epilation forceps in the other hand, hold the ingrowing eyelash close to its base and pull gently forward to pluck it out (Figure 3)

• Repeat until all ingrowing lashes are epilated

• Between each epilation, wipe the eyelash off the forceps with a clean swab (Figure 4)

• Reassure the patient when all ingrowing lashes have been removed and advise him/her not to rub the eye.