An eye doctor has opened up on finding parasitic eye infections in his patients that he says are commonly caused by one common act that millions of people partake in every single day.
Dr Dan Friederich is a certified eye doctor from the United States of America who has racked up thousands of views across Instagram and TikTok, giving out critical advice to his followers on how to look after their eyes while also spotting danger signs.
He also offers general health tips given his medical background.
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Among the warnings from Dr Friederich is an alert over your chances of an 'early death' relating to how much time you spend in bed each night.
And for Dr Friederich, when he spots this, he is left asking the same old question to his patients.
"How often do I see parasites in people's eyes? Well, more often than you might think," Dr Friederich says.
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"And it's mainly because people sleep with their pets in the bed.
"There is a common mite called demodex that we see in the eyelashes that is a parasite. And the minute I see it in someone's eyes, the first question I ask is, 'do you sleep with your dog at night?'."
He explains: "Because that's a really common cause of having these parasites in your eyelashes.
"Don't sleep with your animals if you can help it."
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That's right, no more dogs at the bottom of the bed if you want to avoid getting these nasties that can be quite painful, according to research.
Responding to viewers asking why demodex can be harmful, Dr Friederich says 'everyone has small amounts' of the parasite on their body. But, in high numbers, 'They can cause eye irritation, blurred vision and sometimes loss of lashes', he explains.
"They’re easily treated with Cliradex when people actually have infestation."
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, demodex bugs are associated with a skin condition called rosacea.
“They are an inhabitant of the skin’s normal microbiome; almost everyone has some demodex,” said Gerami D. Seitzman, MD, corneal and external disease specialist at University of California San Francisco.
But when it becomes too much, they can cause blepharitis, an eye condition that causes inflammation of the eyelids, resulting in redness, itchiness, and crusting.
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If your dog does sleep on your bed and you get these nasties in your eye, you should treat them like you would fleas. That means washing all your bedding at a high temperature, following by a high temperature in your tumble dryer.
Alternatively, you can keep the sheets in an air tight, sealed plastic bag for three days to kill the bugs before washing as normal.
Dr Friederich adds that the parasite is not found in house cats.
Tom Earnshaw