I had the exact same problem and am now recovering from it. It just happened one day all of a sudden they drastically fell out whenever I curled my eyelashes... removed my eye make up or got out of the shower... I was losing lashes everywhere and after like a month i had really obvious bald patches which meant I could wear no mascara at all.
It really did come out of nowhere... At first I put it down to using waterproof or heavy formula mascaras as I read that lots of use can weaken and damage the eyelashes and I had been using only maybelling full n soft waterproof and majolica majorca lash expander frame plus and they are both waterproof and are extremely hard to get off, so it means more rubbing which means more lash loss so then I changed mascara to Imju Fiberwig, Bourjois Volume glamour and Prestige my Biggest Lashes which were all non waterproof.
Problem is.. eyelashes take FOREVER to grow back. Anywya I got so depressed over lash loss that even with buying new mascaras I also bought a million different strong eye make up removers. Even with light non waterproof mascaras and good make up removers.. I still had like 10 eyelashes come out. I had been curling my eyelashes for years and never had massive fallout while curling until now.. One curl and I'd lose heaps of lashes... What the?
In my desperation I bought Ardel Lash and Brow Growth Accelerator, I really wanted something to condition my lashes hoping they would become stronger and fallout less also growth acceleraor.. I was hoping it would speed up my lash growth so I could fill in the bald patches. It's been six months since I the lash fallout started and I have been using Ardell for maybe three months??
To get by along the way I had to go for like 2 1/2 months not touchin my eyelashes at all, and alot did grow back, but still they were not as full as before. Then I started using Ardell at night and during the day, wearing no mascara. Then Ardell onyl at night and using heated eyelash curlers during the day istead of normal ones. They wree not very effective, but they cut down on the lash loss. I also stuck with my prestige mascara because it was one of the easiest ones to remove. I still lost eyelashes through makeup removal and I found I still lost heaps of eyelashes from water pressure? who knows but whenever I'd get out of the shower I'd find fallen eyelashes on my face.
Ardell did make some difference, my eyelashes looked healithier and shinier and slightly longer, and were no longer brittle and felt realyl soft. It didn't do much to prevent lash loss or speed up growth though.
Then more weeks down the track, I left my lashes alone again with only Ardell to help recover, but they still fell out in the shower. Then ... I'm not sure if it is beacuse of my change in diet? But I drank green tea and ate fruit daily and maybe it's coincidence but my eyelashes changed shortly after. They stopped falling out in the shower... and I coulr curl with a normal curler without damaging them.. now it seems they have a better chance of growing instead of constant fall outs and even falling out before it had even half grown. I still have some truoble with removing eye make up, because eyelashes fall out so easily... but I can do it wihtout lash fallout.. but I have to be extremely patient and slow and delicate. Which is so annoying.
I'm asian and my eyelashes point straght downwards so mascara does nothing unless I curl them and it's the only cosmetic item whcih really brings substance to my face and I've been devesatated at being unable to use it.. however finally my lashes are starting to grow better and lash loss has been reduced heaps and now all it is is finding an efficent remover.. and believe me I have tried many.. from neutrogena... to garnier... body shop.. rimmel.. l'oreal.
But that is my lash story so far.