Rheum
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Rheum (Template:IPAc-en; from Greek: ῥεῦμα rheuma 'a flowing, rheum') is a thin mucus naturally discharged from the eyes, nose, or mouth, often during sleep (contrast with mucopurulent discharge).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="amodio families.com">Amodio, Aimee."Where Do Eye Boogers Come From?", Families.com blog</ref><ref name=hiskey>Hiskey, Daven. "What the 'Sleep' In Your Eyes Is", Today I Found Out, 23 February 2011.</ref> Rheum dries and gathers as a crust in the corners of the eyes or the mouth, on the eyelids, or under the nose.<ref name=hiskey /> It is formed by a combination of mucus (in the case of the eyes, consisting of mucin discharged from the cornea or the conjunctiva), nasal mucus, blood cells, skin cells, or dust.
Rheum from the eyes is particularly common. Dried rheum near the eyes is commonly called 'sleep',<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 'sleepy-seeds', 'sleepy buds',<ref name="partridge">Eric Partridge, Paul Beale, ed., A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, 8th edition, 1984, s.v.</ref> 'sleepy sand', 'eye boogers', 'eye goop',<ref name="nbc">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 'sleepies', or 'eye gunk'.<ref name="mcgill">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> When the individual is awake, blinking of the eyelid causes rheum to be washed away with tears via the nasolacrimal duct. The absence of this action during sleep, however, results in a small amount of dry rheum accumulating in corners of the eye.
Medical conditionsEdit
A number of conditions can increase the production of rheum in the eye. In the case of allergic conjunctivitis, 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 in an instance of heavy rheum buildup can indicate dry eye or conjunctivitis, among other infections.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>