Best way to get mats out from under shih tzu's eyes?

Hi, My mom has a 1 year old shih tzu named Sookee. She is VERY energetic and we love her very much. We give her a bath regularly, but have never cut her hair because we want it long like a show dog. My family and I went on vacation so Sookee didn't get her regular brushing for a week. What is the best/safety way to extract mats that are under the eyes. As you may know Shih tzu eye can be easily injured. The de-matter tool seems way too harsh to use under the eyes and the eyelids are pulled and can stretch out easily which is scary and probably not comfortable for Sookee. Advice please! Thank you!