An eyelash or simply lash is one of the hairs that grows at the edge of the eyelid. It grows in one layer on the edge of the eyelids. Eyelashes protect the eye from debris, dust and small particles and perform some of the same functions as whiskers do on a cat or a mouse in the sense that they are sensitive to being touched, thus providing a warning that an object (such as an insect) is near the eye (which then closes reflexively).