Mom develops debilitating chronic eye condition from 20-year makeup habit

A mom who was told her dry eyes were just down to “genetics” was diagnosed with a chronic eye condition caused by 20 years of wearing makeup to bed.Sarah Koseki, 41, thought nothing of going to sleep with her eye makeup on, until five years ago, when her eyelid got stuck to her eye, leaving her unable to see or sleep.The Field consultant, from Boise, Idaho, was told by doctors she just had dry eyes caused by genetics or aging.But after she began having agonizing corneal tears every three months, a specialist diagnosed her with MGD — an incurable eye condition that causes the glands in your eyelids to get blocked.Every corneal tear leaves Sarah unable to work or read to her kids for 48 hours, and all she can do is sit in a dark room and wait for the pain to pass.But she has developed a daily routine — using eye drops six times a day, washing her eyes with tea tree oil and using a heat mask — to help prevent corneal tears.Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.

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Never miss a story.Sarah has also stopped wearing eye makeup.She said: “I’m a millennial, so I used to do crazy eye makeup with cut creases, winged eyeliner and even eyeliner on the waterline, which is horrible.“I went on a lot of nights out, and after nights out, and from age 18, I would just go to bed and sleep on my side, and the makeup would get into my meibomian glands.“There are so many pain receptors in the eye; I would rather go through childbirth again than have another corneal tear.“It’s so debilitating; you can’t drive, you can’t work, you can’t see.“I now never wear eye makeup as it’s too risky.”Sarah has always been blessed with good skin, so she never felt like she had to wash her face to avoid breakouts.“Had I known it would lead to this, I would have implemented a nighttime face wa...