On a recent Wednesday morning in the Allure group chat, an editor shared that she had had a couple of styes on her eyelids recently, and when she wondered aloud to a friend what the culprit could be, that friend replied coolly: “Maybe you have mites.” This was not welcome news. And also perhaps not really a thing? (This friend was not an ophthalmologist of any kind.) Fifteen minutes—and many concerned responses—later, we were reporting this story.
Turns out, eye mites—referred to as Demodex mites by ophthalmologists—are really a thing, and they are likely living on your eyelashes right now. But before you panic, take a deep breath (and resist the urge to rub your eyes). Mites, even when skittering in proximity to your eyeballs, are a totally normal part of your skin’s microbiome, feeding on oil and dead skin cells inside hair follicles. They’re only a problem (causing itching and redness) when a few too many of them get together. Then you’re left with blepharitis, a.k.a. Inflammation of the eyelid.
But though an -itis can sound intense, there’s still no reason to be alarmed (or, again, to rub your eyes). To put your minds—and ours—at ease, we spoke with ophthalmologists about eye mites and how you can prevent them from stirring up trouble along your lash line.
How do eye mites cause itching and irritation?
Okay, let’s back up a minute. According to ophthalmologists, there are two species of eye mites: Demodex brevis and Demodex folliculorum. Demodex brevis lives on the oil-secreting glands along the eyelids (the meibomian glands), while Demodex folliculorum resides in the lash follicles. “By the age of about 60, 100% of adults have had Demodex on their face,” says Diane Hilal-Campo, MD, a board-certified ophthalmologist in Oakland, New Jersey. (They can also live around the hair follicles and oil glands on the nose, in the eyebrows, and elsewhere.) According to a 2022 study, 25 million of the 45 million adults who visited the eye doctor that year were diagnosed with Demodex blepharitis—that’s more than 55%.
Overgrowth of mites tends to occur with aging, altered rosacea (meibomian gland dysfunction), blepharitis, immune changes, or inadequate eyelid hygiene, according to Ashley Brissette, MD, an ophthalmologist in New York City, who also works with Clinique. “Demodex mites carry bacteria on their surface and within their digestive tract as they feed off the bacteria on the eyelids and lashes. When mite numbers increase, bacterial load increases as well, which can trigger inflammation of the eyelids and ocular surface,” adds Dr. Brissette. “The inflammation (blepharitis) we see is often a combined effect of the mites themselves, associated with bacteria, and the body’s immune response to the infestation.”
In clinical practice, doctors report Demodex blepharitis most frequently in patients who wear a lot of eye makeup and/or false lashes and who report poor eyelid hygiene, such as not thoroughly removing eye makeup or not washing their pillowcases frequently.
Quick side note: Not all cases of blepharitis are caused by mites. Blepharitis refers to any inflammation of the eyelid, which can also be the result of chronic overproduction of oil on the eyelid glands, bacterial infections, or even seborrheic dermatitis. “Blepharitis caused by overproduction of oil in those meibomian glands is commonly referred to as posterior blepharitis or meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD),” says Balvinder Bharj, OD, an optometrist in Jersey City. “It’s often more about the oil being thickened, inflammatory, or stagnant rather than the lids not being cleaned well enough.”
How does wearing eye makeup lead to Demodex blepharitis?
Your favorite tubing mascara or gel eyeliner doesn’t automatically cause Demodex blepharitis, but improper removal of eye makeup can create the conditions that allow bacteria to thrive and the amount of mites to increase. “Heavy eye makeup, especially when not thoroughly removed, can trap debris and oils at the lash base, while shared cosmetics, poor makeup brush hygiene, or infrequent replacement of mascara can also introduce additional bacteria and disrupt the natural balance,” says Dr. Brissette, who’s also seen Demodex blepharitis in her practice as a result of false lashes and lash extensions. “They make proper lid hygiene more difficult, trap debris, and create a warm, oil-rich environment where mites thrive.”
