rheum

Rheum (pronounced /ˈruːm/; from Greek rheuma, a flowing, rheum) is thin mucus naturally discharged as a watery substance from the eyes, nose, or mouth during sleep (contrast mucopurulent discharge). Rheum dries and gathers as a crust in the corners of the eyes or mouth, on the eyelids, or under the nose. It is formed by a combination of mucus (in the case of the eyes, consisting of mucin discharged from the cornea or conjunctiva), snot, blood cells, skin cells, or dust. Rheum from the eyes is particularly common, and is called gound^{[dubious – discuss]} (/ˈɡaʊnd/; from Old English gund, pus, gound) or, in common usage, sand or sleep. "Rheum" and "gound" are accompanied by the adjectives rheumy and goundy.

Normally, blinking causes gound to be washed away with tears. The absence of this function during sleep, however, results in a small amount of dry gound forming in the corners of the eyes even among healthy individuals, especially children. Still, the formation of a large amount of crust or the presence of pus within it may indicate dry eye or other more serious eye infections including conjunctivitis and corneitis.

Adults and older children can easily remove the crust by washing the eye with water or simply brushing it away with clean fingers. In young children, however, the buildup of rheum can be so severe, that opening one's eye upon awakening can be difficult or impossible without washing the eye. Very young children or people under care may need to have this done by another individual.

See also

• Sandman, a mythical character who is supposed to bring gound
• Mucopurulent discharge

References

• "Rheum (discharge)". Memidex Dictionary/Thesaurus. 2009. http://www.memidex.com/rheum+discharge. Retrieved 2009-04-22. 

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