It’s a universal experience. You wake up and have crusty bits in the corners of your eye. Some call it “sleep in your eyes,” “gunk,” “eye boogers,” “sleep sand”—it has many names!
What’s that gunk in my eyes?
The optometric term for this substance is “rheum”. It is a mix of mucus, old skin cells, oils and tears. It’s a natural part of healthy eye function.
During waking hours, we blink our eyes and the rheum washes away during the day. However, during sleep, it pools to the corners of the eye due to the fact we aren’t blinking.
For most people, it is not a big deal.
