The real purpose of long eyelashes has nothing to do with beauty.
In a new study, David Hu at the Georgia Institute of Technology and his research team reportedly found that the real function of eyelashes is to help protect eyes from drying out, according to the NY Times.
Eyelashes are designed perfectly to protect our eyes, meaning they grow to the right length for each of us, according to NPR.
“Nature’s kind of taken care of that for us,” stated Guillermo Amador, a doctoral student and the lead author of the study.
For the recent study, the research team reportedly made an artificial eye with lashes, put it in a wind tunnel and blew air at it. They then reportedly created mathematical models of airflow over the lashes.
The team reportedly found that among a wide variety of mammals, eyelashes are generally about one-third as long as the eye is wide, which is the ideal length for diverting airflow around the eye and reducing evaporation.
“As [the eyelashes] get longer you get less evaporation and less deposition,” explained Amador.
He continued, “But if they get too long they start to channel more airflow towards the eye and that increases the evaporation and increases the deposition of the particles.”
In the past, scientists reportedly suggested various purposes for eyelashes, including protecting the eye by catching dust as it settled from above, as well as acting as sensors to trigger blinking, which helps protect eyes and keep them lubricated. Although these functions may be accurate, the recent study reportedly shows that the primary purpose is keeping the eye lubricated, evident from the eye to eyelash ratio that’s been discovered across different mammals.
For those using fake eyelashes, you may want to think again, as lengthening your eyelashes may actually do the opposite of what your lashes are supposed to do.
“If women use false eyelashes they could actually dry out their eyes a little faster and have to blink more frequently,” explained Amador.