13 Facts That Will Make You Too Aware Of Your Eyes

Eyes are amazing, but also kind of gross when you think about it.

1. You probably blink around 15 times a minute.

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Give or take a few.

2. But the number of blinks varies hugely between people.

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So don't be surprised if you blink a lot more or less.

The rate also tends to change depending on what you're doing – some people blink less while reading, and more while in conversation.

3. One blink lasts between 0.1 and 0.4 seconds.

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It's over in the blink of an eye.

4. Blinking can be voluntary, spontaneous or a reflex.

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Spontaneous blinking is what you do 15ish times a minute. Reflexive blinking kicks in if something touches your eye (ew) or an object comes at you really quickly.

Voluntary blinking is probably what you're doing right now because you're too aware of your eyes thanks to reading this.

5. Your cornea is one of the only body tissues without blood vessels.

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Your cornea is the clear dome-shaped thing that covers the front of your eye, so blood vessels would get in the way of you seeing properly.

(Cartilage also keeps itself blood vessel free.)

6. But scientists think your cornea has the highest concentration of nerve endings in your whole body.

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The outermost layer of the cornea is called the epithelium, and contains thousands of nerve endings. That's why eye pain is real.

7. You have a mucus-producing layer covering the inside of your eyelid.

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It's called the conjunctiva, and also coats the outside of your sclera – the white part of your eye. Unlike the cornea, it does contain blood vessels.

8. There are three basic kinds of tears.

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There are basal tears, reflex tears, and legit crying. Basal tears are the ones that keep your eyes lubricated and healthy, but don't ever spill out of your eyes. Reflex tears happen when something, like an onion, irritates your cornea. And crying is, well, crying.

9. The makeup of tears depends on why your eyes are watering.

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The basal tear film that covers your eye is made of fats, water, and mucus, as well as enzymes that protect against infection. Emotional tears contain more hormones than other kinds of tears.

10. Humans are the only species we know of that cry emotional tears.

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11. That gunk that hangs out in the corner of your eyes is a mixture of oil and watery discharge.

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You have glands in your eyelids that make something called meibum, an oil that coats your eye to help you blink and stop your tears evaporating.

Overnight, this oil combines with rheum, a watery discharge that comes out of your eyes. Because you're not blinking and washing it away like you do when you're awake, it all collects in the corner of your eye and dries up. YUM.

12. Tiredness, stress and caffeine can all make your eyelids twitch.

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So that's probably why you look like this guy after drinking coffee when you're hungover at work.

13. Oh, and there are mites living in your eyelashes right now.

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There are two kinds of mites that inhabit human faces: Demodex folliculorum, which live in hair (and eyelash) follicles, and Demodex brevis, which live in your sebaceous glands.

They have eight stubby legs and elongated bodies.

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