Which actress suffered from the abnormality 'Distichia'?

It is incredible to believe that the words ‘genetic mutation’ could have been uttered at the birth of the film star regarded by many as the world’s most beautiful woman. Yet those were the words heard by Elizabeth Taylor’s parents at her birth on February 27, 1932, in a tactless remark by the doctor who delivered her. It soon transpired that the ‘mutation’ in question was nothing more sinister than an extra set of eyelashes, a rare medical condition known as distichiasis.

While the cause of the extra lashes is indeed a mutation - a result of an abnormal development of the FOXC2 gene - the effect of the luxurious lashes, also known as an ‘accessory row’, was entirely captivating, framing Taylor’s deep violet eyes, and only adding to what admirers called her ‘incandescent’ beauty.

A distichia is an eyelash that arises from an abnormal spot on the eyelid. This abnormality, attributed to a genetic mutation, is known to affect dogs and humans. Distichiae (the abnormal eyelash) usually exit from the duct of the meibomian gland at the eyelid margin.

Distichiae usually cause no symptoms because the lashes are soft, but they can irritate the eye and cause tearing, squinting, inflammation, and corneal ulcers and scarring. Treatment options include manual removal, electrolysis, electrocautery, cryotherapy, and surgery.