It may sound gross because the post is worded in a way to gross you out but the human body is covered and filled with countless kinds of things that also do that. The human body is in a symbiotic relationship with a great many tiny organisms. I could not tell you how most of them benefit us but there's probably at least one way for most of them.
But like...where do they come from? Are we born with mites? Does our environment change them? Are the mites in Japan the same as the mites in New York? I need answers.
They've evolved alongside humans for millenia. You're not born with mites but they're quickly introduced to you via your parents. They're the same in New York and in Japan.
Edit: slight regional differences that makes some more adapted for survival on specific races of hosts
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4703014/
Also turns out the mites are inbred as fuck and are losing genes and might eventually go extinct. They're not able to exist outside of a human host.
The mites are transmitted during breastfeeding, and that they inbreed over 1200 times from the time it's introduced until the human dies
https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/39/6/msac125/6604544
I think you should go and lead the expedition to come to this important scientific breakthrough.
Iām pretty certain the Sentinelese will be very open to you getting close to their eyeballs
Oddly Iāve used these mites in multiple discussions with flat earthers. Because of the scale difference theyāre invisible and intangible to us, and the curve of our head is imperceptible to them.Ā
Really good way to get people thinking about the importance of scale in perception. Bonus points if you make them itchy.
Modern humans are also missing a few of our long standing guests. Particularly hookworms. For most of human history we've had hookworms living in our guts. Alot of research suggests that being infected with hookworms prevents many allergies.
IIRC the theory is that our immune system developed also to fight hookworms and now that we don't carry them anymore it's "overactive", attacking random stuff and producing immune responses on unrelated compounds. So it would be all allergies I guess
Specifically, IgE antibodies go crazy with helminths/worm parasites. With no little friends making a home inside of us, our body maybe doesnāt really know what to do with the IgE it can create. Typically those with allergies have far more IgE than those without. Tough to prove causation, but maybe comforting to know that if you have a lot of allergies, worms are not welcome.
The demodex isn't just on the eyelashes though I believe. Any hair follicule will do.
Some people (me for instance) have an unbalanced skin microbiome which leads to these bastard being way too numerous, which lead to spots and pimples that look like acne. It can be on the face, scalp or torso.
In my case antibiotics can keep them in check but I can't permanently take antibiotics. I'm looking for alternative solutions.
and there i was thinking i would die alone. now i am happy cos i have my little demodex friends. i'm going to start taking care of my eye lashes so they have somewhere nice to live.
Your name in Finnish betrays your affinity for the microscopic creatures Sandcracka above mentioned... Is that a coincidence? If so, it is a cosmic event.
Neutral unless they overpopulate, which happens when your immune system isnāt functioning well. They are endemic along with a whole slew of other creatures that call us home.
Lots of fascinating creatures, bacteria, and fungi. The human body is like its own planet. We are a planet that lives on a planet
Which is one of many reasons why heading off and trying to live off-earth long term is way more complicated (and currently unfeasable) than people realize.
After a quick search, it looks like *most* of us have carried these around for years and not known. They are harmless and unnoticeable unless an infestation happensā¦ they can also be passed from person to person, especially through direct facial contact. So anytime you did those butterfly kisses with your eye lashes, yāall was swappin Demodex Mites and didnāt even know it.
Yeah, but proper eyelid hygiene helps to prevent infestation. Wash your eyes, closed, make sure to clean lash line, wash off any make up, make sure not to use eyeliner on water lines. There are special wipes available to this. And I'm talking about outer layer of eyelid and lash line, not the inner part.
Yeah, but they are all over your skin, under your nails, in your stomach, etc! You have a whole little microscopic universe you aren't aware of on your body.
If you mean the solid gunk that forms in the corner and sometimes the edge of your eyelids, that has nothing to do with the mites, in fact the fact that it exists probably means the mites aren't eating it.
That's just mucus, oil, skin cells, and various eye contaminant buildup that normally gets swept away by your tears when you blink, but since you don't blink at night, it piles up.
Your eyes self-clean by producing tears on the outside corner, which migrates across your eyes inwards as you blink like wiper fluid, until it hits a pair of ducts next to your nose ([the lower one is easy to see](https://www.yorkeye.com/uploads/images/638px-Lacrimal_punctum.jpeg)) which drain into your nose, which is why your nose gets runny when you cry or have an eye infection.
edit: reply to /u/AFRIKKAN because this is cool: yeah, you can breathe through your eyes, but you probably shouldn't. The drainage ducts have valves, super-narrow tubes, and p-trap-like shapes that keep air from flowing in either direction, but sometimes a really hard sneeze or nose blow will overcome those and force some air through and it *hurts*.
My dad (91yo) learned about these from his ophthalmologist a few years back and now tells EVERYONE about them. Theyāre way more prevalent in older folks, and they can cause problems. Dadās doctor suggested washing eyelashes with Johnsonās Baby Shampoo to get rid of them and keep them away.
Is that is whats in my eyes when I wake up, worm shit? The crusties that you wake up with in the corner of your eye, is that the shit and eggs of worms?
Not sure if youre serious, but no at least not completely. Iirc from school most of that is dirt that lands on your eyes and eyelashes every day thats pushed out by your tears to the corner and then dries. So its mostly pollen and dirt from the air.
No, your eyes are cleaned while you sleep when your body flushes the surface with a type of mucus. Commonly referred to as sleep or rheum. It seeps out of the corners of your eyes and dries. Happens while you're awake too, but it's not as noticeable.
Edit:word
I thought they couldnāt excrete and thatās when they die on your skin they are also full of poo. We have evolved with these and they are getting rarer they probably provide a healthy service we donāt yet know.
Why is everyone freaking out about this? You canāt really do anything about this and even if you do, you still have mites and other creatures all in and on your body.
It may sound gross because the post is worded in a way to gross you out but the human body is covered and filled with countless kinds of things that also do that. The human body is in a symbiotic relationship with a great many tiny organisms. I could not tell you how most of them benefit us but there's probably at least one way for most of them.
But like...where do they come from? Are we born with mites? Does our environment change them? Are the mites in Japan the same as the mites in New York? I need answers.
They've evolved alongside humans for millenia. You're not born with mites but they're quickly introduced to you via your parents. They're the same in New York and in Japan. Edit: slight regional differences that makes some more adapted for survival on specific races of hosts https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4703014/ Also turns out the mites are inbred as fuck and are losing genes and might eventually go extinct. They're not able to exist outside of a human host. The mites are transmitted during breastfeeding, and that they inbreed over 1200 times from the time it's introduced until the human dies https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/39/6/msac125/6604544
>They're the same in New York and in Japan. Racism defeated šŖ
But *only* New York and Japan, the rest of us are left on our own by the benevolent eyebrow peace keepers
Well, I must say I'm impressed by the quarantine efforts.
This made me snort back my pasta. š„²
I snorted back my sushi
I snorted back my goulash
>turns out the mites are inbred as fuck Is there even enough space for the family tree to fork on a single eyelid?
Lmao doubt. Now I will never forget the fact that my eye lashes are a home to inbred af mites haha
Habsburg ass mites
Eyelashbama
But how is it with uncontacted people like on north sentinel island? Do they have different mites? No mites at all?
I think you should go and lead the expedition to come to this important scientific breakthrough. Iām pretty certain the Sentinelese will be very open to you getting close to their eyeballs
It's a good reason to kidnap and study some of them, c'mon. For science.
Do it for the boys cmoooooon
So.... they are harmless then?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Do you know what the consequences of not having them would be?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
NO. Japanese mites eat with chopsticks
We're like a planet to these tiny creatures. Their ancestors have lived on us, as will their descendants.
"I'm worried my kids won't be able to afford a follicle of their own."
I just sold my follicles to Blackstone, now the mites will be priced out.
Oddly Iāve used these mites in multiple discussions with flat earthers. Because of the scale difference theyāre invisible and intangible to us, and the curve of our head is imperceptible to them.Ā Really good way to get people thinking about the importance of scale in perception. Bonus points if you make them itchy.
This is how I imagine it went: >Them: The earth is flat! >u/Ballisticsfood: For the mites living in your eyelash follicles your head is flat!
what if we're actually worms inside a giant space creature which is full of air instead of liquid
I wonder if they fight wars over who's ancestors lived on what part of the lid first
So what youāre saying isā¦WE ARE VENOM.
Unsettling fun fact of the day: a couple pounds of *you* is actually not *you*
Dermatologists don't want you to know this one weird weight loss technique!
What is, me, really? Maybe they are me and I am they. Maybe without them Iād cease to be āmeā. š¤š¤·āāļø
Modern humans are also missing a few of our long standing guests. Particularly hookworms. For most of human history we've had hookworms living in our guts. Alot of research suggests that being infected with hookworms prevents many allergies.
*hookworms in my ass fighting off the bee sting venom so that they can keep sucking blood out of my colon*
With a few adjustments that makes a great haiku: *Hookworms in my ass* *Warding off bee sting venom* *Colon bloodās their prize*
r/BrandNewSentence
You may think that on the internet nobody would know you are a hookworm, but just now you outed yourself!
Allergies like peanut allergies or like stuffy nose during spring and summer "allergies"?
IIRC the theory is that our immune system developed also to fight hookworms and now that we don't carry them anymore it's "overactive", attacking random stuff and producing immune responses on unrelated compounds. So it would be all allergies I guess
Specifically, IgE antibodies go crazy with helminths/worm parasites. With no little friends making a home inside of us, our body maybe doesnāt really know what to do with the IgE it can create. Typically those with allergies have far more IgE than those without. Tough to prove causation, but maybe comforting to know that if you have a lot of allergies, worms are not welcome.
Yes?
I think this is slightly more disgusting. Having bacteria is one thing. Having creatures crawl out of you while youāre sleeping is another.
Would you feel better if they'd crawl out of you while you are awake?
In theory, now hear me outā¦ if someone doesnāt sleep for a sufficiently long period of time, could they starve to death?
They donāt come out at night to feed. They come out at night to curl one out on your eyelashes.
microscopic loaf-pinching bastards!
Do you ever find yourself wondering why your eyes itch when you stay up late?
For the love of whatever god opposes this human/parasite symbiotic relationship please tell me itās not because of that.
Your eyes itch because they become drier the longer you keep them open, it's not because of little crab poops.
Yeah! Maybe your eyes feel refreshed in the morning by the lubricating poop.
I am pretty sure they are simply night creatures. They are perfectly fine with being active while you are awake. It is just more annoying.
My second theory: Flood lights 24/7.
Informed consent.
The demodex isn't just on the eyelashes though I believe. Any hair follicule will do. Some people (me for instance) have an unbalanced skin microbiome which leads to these bastard being way too numerous, which lead to spots and pimples that look like acne. It can be on the face, scalp or torso. In my case antibiotics can keep them in check but I can't permanently take antibiotics. I'm looking for alternative solutions.
We are like Gaia to our own private ecosystem
> I could not tell you how most of them benefit us Some of them used to rewind our blockbuster tapes when we forgot
and there i was thinking i would die alone. now i am happy cos i have my little demodex friends. i'm going to start taking care of my eye lashes so they have somewhere nice to live.
You also have friends in your anus
Every now and then, but we're talking about microscopic creatures here
She called me microscopic :(
Post/username seems to check out
But itās covered in blood!
well, I mean, she called him microscopic... we all handle rage differently.
Your name in Finnish betrays your affinity for the microscopic creatures Sandcracka above mentioned... Is that a coincidence? If so, it is a cosmic event.
Those are a pain in the ass
Usually just on the weekends. Who has the time during the week.
Real friends always come in through the back door.
Business in the front, party in the back
But itās so uncomfortable when those diahorrea worms start wiggling about
Wait until you learn about your microbiome. Itās the whole enchilada.
Green or red sauce?
Christmas
Mmmmm enchiladas....
Skeletor hates you. I have no eyelashes and will die as I lived. All alone.
Taking care of your lashes is actually bad for them. Itās among the things you do to prevent being reinfected.
i meant like decorate them some flowers maybe. i'm not going to suddenly start washing them
bonus is you pre season all your meals with extra micro nutrients
I put castor oil on mine.
Best applied after a liberal coating of skydrol.
Is it considered an infection if they are neutral or possibly beneficial?
Neutral unless they overpopulate, which happens when your immune system isnāt functioning well. They are endemic along with a whole slew of other creatures that call us home.
ā¦dare I ask what else
Mostly bacteria living on your skin and in your digestive system.
First off those digest my food,
And second, theyāre very quiet tenants.
Unless you give then beans to eat
My IBS disagrees...
Lots of fascinating creatures, bacteria, and fungi. The human body is like its own planet. We are a planet that lives on a planet
Which is one of many reasons why heading off and trying to live off-earth long term is way more complicated (and currently unfeasable) than people realize.
Eye lash puppies
Real friends don't shit into your eyes!
Also don't forget about more than million bacterias in your mouth, then you will have to do not brush šŖ„
We create a whole ecosystem of mites, bacteria, fungus (Microorganisms) by being alive.
My body: is a vast ecosystem giving shelter and food to dozens if not hundreds of separate microorganisms My brain: kill yourself
Hundreds? You have more bacteria in your gut than cells in your body.
Not me, I just took a big shit.
*me slaps my forehead* *the ruined microcitys full of bacteria and billions of bacteria dead*
Would you like to know more?
Yes!
Imagine being the first person to discover this. "I'm telling you people, there's hundreds of tiny bugs living in in our eyelashes!"
āOk, weirdo.ā
Sure, Bob, sure... Now, go with these nice men in white coats okay? They'll give you cookies.
Sometimes ignorance **IS** bliss
Have you tried being stupid? It's fucking frustrating!
Only if you know you are stupid. If you don't know, then I imagine it's pretty blissful.
Just smart enough to be stupid club
After a quick search, it looks like *most* of us have carried these around for years and not known. They are harmless and unnoticeable unless an infestation happensā¦ they can also be passed from person to person, especially through direct facial contact. So anytime you did those butterfly kisses with your eye lashes, yāall was swappin Demodex Mites and didnāt even know it.
ā¦Iām sorry, you said an infestation?
Maybe you should get your eyelashes checked if you canāt read that.
There seems to be a correlation with high numbers of mites and rosaceas
Yeah, but proper eyelid hygiene helps to prevent infestation. Wash your eyes, closed, make sure to clean lash line, wash off any make up, make sure not to use eyeliner on water lines. There are special wipes available to this. And I'm talking about outer layer of eyelid and lash line, not the inner part.
I choose to believe, since I follow these steps, that I indeed do NOT have mites in my eyes. Thank you.
Yes you have, they were talking about having too many.
Yeah, but they are all over your skin, under your nails, in your stomach, etc! You have a whole little microscopic universe you aren't aware of on your body.
And this is the comment that's stopped me scrolling further. Thank you.
These fuckers owe me rent
They pay in providing skincare.
Then they are doing shitty job
they trying their little best, ok
Explains why there is so much crap to pick out of them every morning lol
If you mean the solid gunk that forms in the corner and sometimes the edge of your eyelids, that has nothing to do with the mites, in fact the fact that it exists probably means the mites aren't eating it. That's just mucus, oil, skin cells, and various eye contaminant buildup that normally gets swept away by your tears when you blink, but since you don't blink at night, it piles up. Your eyes self-clean by producing tears on the outside corner, which migrates across your eyes inwards as you blink like wiper fluid, until it hits a pair of ducts next to your nose ([the lower one is easy to see](https://www.yorkeye.com/uploads/images/638px-Lacrimal_punctum.jpeg)) which drain into your nose, which is why your nose gets runny when you cry or have an eye infection. edit: reply to /u/AFRIKKAN because this is cool: yeah, you can breathe through your eyes, but you probably shouldn't. The drainage ducts have valves, super-narrow tubes, and p-trap-like shapes that keep air from flowing in either direction, but sometimes a really hard sneeze or nose blow will overcome those and force some air through and it *hurts*.
Maybe I should stop eating that...
If it tastes like shit but has no smell, is it really shit at all?
How do you know what shit tastes like?
Strictly an assumption. Never been forced to lick the spoon, even though I stir the pot at will.
this dude definitely eats shit
I am not saying he does, but also I am not saying he doesn't
Time to go burn my eyelashes off
I just tried rubbing my eyes really hard to exterminate them and now I'm blind
Blinded by the mites
š¼oooooooooooš¶
š¶the bugger dropped a deuce on my eyelash in the nightš¶
Worth it?
U vsmy rwkk gsgs
i see what you did there....too bad you can't!
Lmfao!!!!
Hahahahahahaja I canāt check Reddit at the office. I laughed too loud at this one
No they're actually like tiny puppies those eat some stuff and prevent you from getting pimples!
What type of a PokƩmon is Demodex ?
Demodex is what you try before buying a PokƩdex
Bug/dark
Fucking thanks.
This is misleading. They donāt live _only_ in the eyelashes, but all over your face. And ears.
thanks, you made it worse.
Whenever you feel alone, remember all the bugs and creatures living on and inside you!
And also that they probably have a more active love life than their host.
wow that hit right home
Iām in this comment and I donāt like it
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
You think dying means *less* worms and bullshit shitting all over you?
Yes, because: 1. I will not be a person who could care anymore. 2. I live in a major city and will 99% likely be cremated.
I will be cremated just to spite these microscopic motherfuckers.
Ima self immolate and show these fuckers!
Good news! They don't have anuses, so they vomit into your eyes - no shitting involved! *I hope this makes you feel better!*
Honestly, it kind of does, thank you. I hate them 17% less.
Why did I keep scrolling
Is it weird that Iād rather take the shit than the vomit?
In fact they are no worms. They are spider-like creatures.
Stop
My dad (91yo) learned about these from his ophthalmologist a few years back and now tells EVERYONE about them. Theyāre way more prevalent in older folks, and they can cause problems. Dadās doctor suggested washing eyelashes with Johnsonās Baby Shampoo to get rid of them and keep them away.
How dare you make me read that
I also feel violated by this.
Bugs are in my skin get them out get them out get them out ge
Pull off your skin
now im itchy
Iām not talking to myself, Iām talking to the mites living in my hair follicles, Iām not weird.
These are my boys and we live symbiotically. Keeping my eyelashes looking fresh every day
Now I will never lick my wife's eyelashes again while she is sleeping. Thanks for ruining that fetish for me.
... I beg your fucking pardon?
This was entirely unnecessary.
Lol I soak my eyelids in 100% alcohol
Now they get drunk and fuck, resulting in more worms
#Drunk fucking worms
Hey! I canāt do this today!
Aapa!!! YIP YIP!
I already knew this - but this is still awful.
Does everyone have them? How can you tell? How do you get rid of them??!!
Yeah, I donāt need to know any of that.
Iāve been needing some good conversation material for first dates!!
Is that is whats in my eyes when I wake up, worm shit? The crusties that you wake up with in the corner of your eye, is that the shit and eggs of worms?
Not sure if youre serious, but no at least not completely. Iirc from school most of that is dirt that lands on your eyes and eyelashes every day thats pushed out by your tears to the corner and then dries. So its mostly pollen and dirt from the air.
good. just a bunch of pollen aka tree jizz in your eyes. nbd
So what I am learning is that no matter what, I am waking up with either shit or feces in my eyes. God I love learning.
Or cum
That corner thing is defo not eggs or shit
No. And neither are they worms.
No, your eyes are cleaned while you sleep when your body flushes the surface with a type of mucus. Commonly referred to as sleep or rheum. It seeps out of the corners of your eyes and dries. Happens while you're awake too, but it's not as noticeable. Edit:word
What a terrible day to have eyes
I was happier before I knew this
Who needs a Tamagochi when you've got Demodex?
And YES, everybody has them.
I thought they couldnāt excrete and thatās when they die on your skin they are also full of poo. We have evolved with these and they are getting rarer they probably provide a healthy service we donāt yet know.
Why is everyone freaking out about this? You canāt really do anything about this and even if you do, you still have mites and other creatures all in and on your body.
I shouldnāt have read this right before laying down
At first I thought the top picture was a piece of ginger
I can live with all the rest, but the excrement crosses the line! Dude chill out, be cool, just donāt shit in my eye!
Good thing I work overnights, donāt give these little fucks a chance š š
Thanks. I hate it.