Dad, what is the purpose for eyelashes?

EyelashesMy son asked me this afternoon what the purpose of eyelashes is. I did not have a solid answer at the time, but I ventured to guess it was to keep small particles out of the eyes, especially when the wind is blowing. Also I suggested that they might be super sensitive and alert the eyelids to shut tight when they are touched by something. All of this is true I found out.

I then recommended that he google it and find his answer. He was not really that interested in the question apparently. He walked right by the computer and went to watch TV.

I, on the other hand, was quite curious about the answer and therefore googled it myself. Like I don’t have enough to distract me on the web already, now I am getting distracted in real life which sends me to the web. I can’t win.

Oh, I also found out that an important secondary purpose of eyelashes is to use them for flirting.