What is the white/clear liquid that builds up in the corner of your eye?

Question

Sometimes it feels like I have a hair in my eyelid, yet it ends up being "sleep" or whatever. Anyone?

Answer 1

That is the lacrimal lake:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacrimal_lake

It contains tears, which are more than just salty water:

"In humans, the tear film coating the eye has three distinct layers, from the most outer surface:

The lipid layer contains oils secreted by the Meibomian glands. This outer-most layer of the tear film coats the aqueous layer to provide a hydrophobic barrier that retards evaporation and prevents tears spilling onto the cheek.

The aqueous layer contains water and other substances such as proteins (e.g. tear lipocalin, lactoferrin and lysozyme[1]) secreted by the glands of Kraus and Wolfring and the lacrimal gland. The aqueous layer serves to promote spreading of the tear film, control of infectious agents and osmotic regulation

The mucous layer contains mucin secreted by the conjunctival goblet cells. The inner-most layer of the tear film, it coats the cornea to provide a hydrophobic layer that allows for even distribution of the tear film, as well as mucus covering of the cornea epithelium to prevent abrasion."

Answer 2

Dust or other irritants get in your eye. In response, the soft tissue inside the eyelid creates a substance to coat the particle and protect itself from the irritant.

I don't know the clinical term for it, but living on a farm (horses, cows, pigs, chickens, etc), and having hayfever, I experience it a lot!!!

Answer 3

Are you are refering to those little globs of sleep that collect in the corner of the eye, that can sometimes be little hard bits? That is sebum, and it is secreted from the sebacous gland in the eye. We have many sebacous glands and that is just one of them.

Answer 4

conjunctivitis