TL;DR: Inward-growing eyelashes cause painful irritation and potential corneal damage in dogs, requiring a veterinary exam within 24–48 hours or sooner if the eye is cloudy or held shut.
What causes inward-growing eyelashes in dogs and how does it affect them?
When a dog's eyelashes turn inward and rub against the eye, it is usually caused by medical conditions like entropion, distichiasis, or ectopic cilia. These issues cause the hair to act like a constant abrasive against the cornea, the clear surface of the eye. This rubbing leads to irritation, redness, and significant discomfort for your pet.
Is my dog’s inward-growing eyelash a medical emergency?
- Urgency Level: Medium. While rarely life-threatening, this is a very painful condition that can lead to corneal ulcers or permanent scarring.
- Recommended Timeline: Schedule a veterinary exam within 24 to 48 hours.
- When to Seek Immediate Care: If your dog is unable to open the eye or if you see a cloudy spot on the eye surface, seek veterinary attention as soon as possible.
How does a photo of my dog’s eye help with the triage process?
- Allows a veterinary professional to visualize the exact position of the lashes and the level of inflammation.
- Helps the triage team determine if the cornea is at immediate risk for ulceration.
- Enables the clinic to prioritize your appointment based on the clinical severity of the irritation.
Clinical Context (Merck Veterinary Manual)
Entropion, or the inversion of the eyelids and eyelashes, is a frequent inherited eyelid defect in many canine breeds, and can also result from cicatrix formation or blepharospasm secondary to ocular or periocular pain. Inversion of the cilia causes discomfort and conjunctival and corneal irritation, potentially leading to corneal scarring, pigmentation, and ulceration if left untreated. Early spastic entropion may be reversed by removing the inciting cause or alleviating pain through methods such as everting the lid hairs away from the eye with mattress sutures, subcutaneous injections into the lid, or palpebral nerve blocks. Temporary stay sutures or surgical staples may be used to treat entropion in very young puppies, while established entropion typically requires surgical correction. Anomalies of the cilia such as distichiasis may require excision, cautery, or cryothermy if corneal or conjunctival damage results.
Chapter: Ophthalmology, Surgery
Source: The Merck Veterinary Manual, 11th Edition (Page 489)