to ask about these weird lumps in my eyes and weird hairs on my bellybutton?

[kirsten123]

Hello,

Sometimes when I'm blinking, my eye (usually the left eye) feels funny. I go to the mirror and pull my eyelid up and I can see one or two white-ish jelly-ish lumps. They are NOT steyes - they don't touch the eyelashes themselves, they are on the pink curved bit BELOW the eyelash line.

I (carefully) get a needle and they just pull away from the skin (they don't burst). It's like a lump of jelly. They are SUPER satisfying!!!! Then I can blink smoothly again.

So what the hell are these things? The optician has no idea. It's more common if I've been wearing a lot of eye make-up. Is it cholesterol?

Also, for years now I've had these really thick black hairs growing round my bellybutton. I pluck them but sometimes they get ingrown and I have to pull them to the surface with (another!!) needle. This can end up scabby. (Unsexy!)

How do you remove bellybutton hairs?

Many thanks as these things have been intruiging me for years!

Are you cleaning your makeup off properly?

And I think the belly button hair is just that really.

I have both! Don't know what the eye bumps are - I've always thought they might be caused by my contact lenses rubbing on the eyelid. Tummy button hair - a course of IPL pretty much got rid of mine. HTH!

Thanks both!

I don't wear contact lenses.

But yeah, I can be slap dash with the make up remover when I've had a night out!

Are the eye bumps actually attached? Or are they more like eye-snot (sorry)? I get a lot of semi solid white eye-bogeys, it's because I have idiopathic chronic dry eyes, and my tears aren't wet enough.

Probably using a needle to remove them isn't the best idea ever.

I think the eye stuff is just normal eye goo. It's what sleep looks like before it goes hard and minging. Stop using a needle though just wipe your eyes.

Hi,

Yes, the eye bumps are very distinct round blobs of glue, fairly solid and I can't get them off without the needle although when I use the needle they come away very easily. They are nowhere near the corner of my eye where sleep normally accumulates.

They are just sooooo satisfying to pick though!!!

I use a cotton wool bud to get them out of my eyes. I call them eye bogeys

Now started watching youtube videos of people having their spots squeezed, cysts removed and HUGE bogeys extracted with forceps!!!!!!!

Some things cannot be unseen!

Don't use a needle near your eye like that! Use a cotton bud or something.

you use a needle to get things out of your eye??? I hope to goodness you don't sneeze or stumble while you're doing it!

The little cysts are blocked meibomian gland ducts. Meibomian glands are inside the lid and release oils into the tear film which prevent the watery component of the tears from evaporating.
They are nothing to worry about unless you start getting dryness symptoms in eyes.

Ooh, that sounds very scientific, Karoleann!! Thanks!!

Yeah, the eye-needle combo is dangerous but I make sure to be very careful. And it's the only excitement I get these days!!!

Karoleann what does the dryness in the eyes indicate?

I have been told by more than one optician that the jelly lumps in my eyes are caused by sunlight damage, apparently they can be removed but it's not very effective. I think they are unattractive. I've very wide open eyes iykwim so maybe there is more eye on display

Eye snot is different. I get that if I've been sanding and haven't worn goggles.

If too many get blocked they block passage of the oils into the tear layer and cause dryness symptoms, grittiness, burning, redness. So basically if it were a problem your eyes would feel sore or look red.

How - those jelly lumps are different - they are on the conjunctiva, rather than the lids, there are two types pingeculae and pteryguim, the latter is caused by excessive uv and can grow across the cornea. The actual cause for pingeculae is unknown, most people get them eventually and they usually don't cause any problems, although they can interfere with contact lens wear if they get very big.

Many thanks Karoleann!

This is what my eye blob looks like but mine are smaller and are more in the corner of my eye.

Oh I get the little blister things on the rim of my eyelids. It starts off feeling like there grit in my eye so I check in the mirror and sure enough there a little blistery thing so I sit down and close my eyes for a few minutes and it goes.

I very rarely wear make up, no contacts or glasses either.

This is what I get. (Google pic not mine btw)

images.ookaboo.com/photo/s/Internal_hordeolum_s.jpg

How - that looks serious!

Yes, Deecayed - that's EXACTLY what mine look like!!! Well done!!!
Are they called meboiam cysts? Karoleann?

Don't know what they're called but the pic leads to an eyecare site and they reckon they're called hordolea but I read the symptoms and it didn't really fit, so still none the wiser haha.

howdidthatworkout those are pingueculas. kirsten123 they look serious but they're actually not, they're not a problem unless they cause irritation but usually don't. (family member has the same thing)

Oh gosh! That's nothing like what I have, that looks much more painful.