If you’ve ever wondered why washing your pillow case every once in a while is so important, this case may give you an idea. A Chinese woman who, for some reason, hand’t washed her pillow case in five years recently turned up at a hospital in Wuhan, where doctors discovered over 100 mites living on her eyelashes.

The woman, known only as Ms. Xu, told doctors that her eyes had been red and itchy for around two years, but that she just simply got used to their condition and relied on over-the-counter eye drops to alleviate the symptoms, instead of seeing an ophthalmologist. It was only when the problem got so bad that her eyelashes and eyelids started getting stuck together that she finally decided it was time to get some professional help.

Photo: Oriental Daily

While examining the woman’s eyelashes, doctors were shocked to find that they were infected with mites. According to Chinese media, the woman’s eyelashes were home to over 100 mites, with some hair follicles harboring colonies of 10 eyelash parasites. Obviously, they were curious about how all those mites ended up on the woman’s lashes, but even though they suspected it might of had something to do with a lack of hygiene, they weren’t ready for her answer. The woman said that she hadn’t washed her pillow curtain in the last 4 – 5 years.

Ms. Xu was diagnosed with blepharitis and conjunctivitis, inflammation of the base of the eyelashes and of the eye, but she reportedly made a full recovery after receiving treatment at the hospital in Wuhan.

Photo: Oriental Daily

So, yeah, unless you want mites in your eyelashes, try to wash your pillow case at least once a year :).