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1. The eye dumps a lot of fluid over the course of a night’s sleep. In addition to the secretion of the conjunctival membrane, which protects the eyeball from foreign bodies, there is the tear, whose function is to lubricate it. It is formed by the lacrimal gland and is composed of water, mineral salts, proteins and fat.
2. Another source of fat – one of the main ingredients for the formation of slime – is the Meibomian gland. The goo secreted by it has the function of reducing the evaporation of tears. When there is dysfunction in this fat supply, the so-called dry eye syndrome appears.
3. Every time we blink, we spread the aforementioned secretions across the eyeball in order to lubricate it, in addition to allowing a natural cleaning of the cornea. And, with each blink, the excess secretions are pushed, little by little, to the corners of the eyes.
4. The tear duct only absorbs the liquid part of the tear, leaving mucus, oily layer and accumulated dirt. At night, our tear glands reduce production of the watery part of the tear, but continue to produce mucus and fat. The dryness of all this snot gives rise to the slime
Eye discharge can also increase when there is conjunctivitis or blepharitis (inflammation of the lid margin due to excess fat production)
– Is it possible to sleep with your eyes open?
Sources SUPERINTERESSANTE and Drauzio Varella websites
Consultancy Erika Yasaki, ophthalmologist at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein