Rheum (; from

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: ῥεῦμα ''rheuma'' 'a flowing, rheum') is a thin mucus naturally discharged from the

eye Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...

nose A nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which receive and expel air for respiration alongside the mouth. Behind the nose are the olfactory mucosa and the sinuses. Behind the nasal cavity, air next passes th ...

, or

mouth In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...

, often during sleep (

cf. The abbreviation ''cf.'' (short for the la, confer/conferatur, both meaning "compare") is used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. Style guides recommend that ''cf.'' be used onl ...

mucopurulent discharge Mucopurulent discharge is the emission or secretion of fluid containing mucus and pus (''muco-'' pertaining to ''mucus'' and ''purulent'' pertaining to ''pus'') from the eye, nose, cervix, vagina or other part of the body due to infection and i ...

).Amodio, Aime
"Where Do Eye Boogers Come From?"
Families.com blogHiskey, Daven
"What the 'Sleep' In Your Eyes Is"
''Today I Found Out'', 23 February 2011. Rheum dries and gathers as a crust in the corners of the eyes or the mouth, on the eyelids, or under the nose. It is formed by a combination of

mucus Mucus ( ) is a slippery aqueous secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. It is typically produced from cells found in mucous glands, although it may also originate from mixed glands, which contain both serous and mucous cells. It is ...

(in the case of the eyes, consisting of

mucin Mucins () are a family of high molecular weight, heavily glycosylated proteins (glycoconjugates) produced by epithelial tissues in most animals. Mucins' key characteristic is their ability to form gels; therefore they are a key component in most ...

discharged from the

cornea The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Along with the anterior chamber and lens, the cornea refracts light, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical power ...

or the

conjunctiva The conjunctiva is a thin mucous membrane that lines the inside of the eyelids and covers the sclera (the white of the eye). It is composed of non-keratinized, stratified squamous epithelium with goblet cells, stratified columnar epithelium ...

), nasal mucus,

blood cell A blood cell, also called a hematopoietic cell, hemocyte, or hematocyte, is a cell produced through hematopoiesis and found mainly in the blood. Major types of blood cells include red blood cells (erythrocytes), white blood cells (leukocytes), ...

skin cell Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different de ...

s, or dust. Rheum from the eyes is particularly common. Dried rheum near the eyes is commonly called sleep, sleepy-seeds, sleepy buds,Eric Partridge, Paul Beale, ed., ''A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English'', 8th edition, 1984, ''s.v.'' sleepy bugs, sleepy sand, sleepy winks, eye boogers, Sandman's sand, eye goop, sleepy dust, sleepies, eye gunk, eye crust, sleepy men, crusties, dozy dust, or sleepy dirt. When the individual is awake, blinking of the eyelid causes rheum to be washed away with tears via the

nasolacrimal duct The nasolacrimal duct (also called the tear duct) carries tears from the lacrimal sac of the eye into the nasal cavity. The duct begins in the eye socket between the maxillary and lacrimal bones, from where it passes downwards and backwards. The ...

. The absence of this action during sleep, however, results in a small amount of dry rheum accumulating in corners of the eye. A parent or pet owner may notice the collection of rheum on children and pets they care for.

Medical conditions

A number of conditions can increase the production of rheum in the eye. In the case of

allergic conjunctivitis Allergic conjunctivitis (AC) is inflammation of the conjunctiva (the membrane covering the white part of the eye) due to allergy. Although allergens differ among patients, the most common cause is hay fever. Symptoms consist of redness (mainly due ...

, the buildup of rheum can be considerable, preventing the patient from opening one or both of the eyes upon waking without prior cleansing of the eye area. The presence of

pus Pus is an exudate, typically white-yellow, yellow, or yellow-brown, formed at the site of inflammation during bacterial or fungal infection. An accumulation of pus in an enclosed tissue space is known as an abscess, whereas a visible collection ...

in an instance of heavy rheum buildup can indicate

dry eye Dry or dryness most often refers to: * Lack of rainfall, which may refer to **Arid regions **Drought * Dry or dry area, relating to legal prohibition of selling, serving, or imbibing alcoholic beverages * Dry humor, deadpan * Dryness (medical) * ...

conjunctivitis Conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye, is inflammation of the conjunctiva, outermost layer of the white part of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelid. It makes the eye appear pink or reddish. Pain, burning, scratchiness, or itchiness may ...

, among other infections.

References

External links

{{Wiktionary
Eye Discharge

Why Is There Gunk in My Eye?
at

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Body fluids Ophthalmology Symptoms

Medical conditions

See also

References

External links