Canadian jailed despite aching eyelashes

WINDSOR, Ontario, May 7 (UPI) -- A judge in Canada has sentenced a Windsor, Ontario, man to jail despite the defendant's plea for mercy due to a rare and painful problem with his eyelashes.

The man, whose name was withheld, claimed to have Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a condition that causes eyelashes to grow inward and requires daily medical care.

The Windsor Star said the defense lawyer said her client, who wore sunglasses to court, had been to 171 doctors in his lifetime in a vain effort to get help for the condition, which was caused by a drug reaction as a child.

Ontario Justice Greg Campbell Tuesday rejected the motion for house arrest in the domestic violence case. Instead, he handed down a 100-day sentence and said the jail nurse could handle the required treatments.