How do you close a dead man's eyes?

Answer 1

If a person had just died, it is almost impossible to shut the eyes because they're reflexes are still working, just like how there bowels move and how fingers and hair grow after they have died. At a funeral home, most shut the eyes by sewing them or glueing them like they do the mouths.

Answer 2

The answer is not, "How long after death can you close someones eyes" as much as it is, "How quickly do you need to close someones eyes after death?" The problem is an affect known as rigor mortis. If you don't care to know the details, skip to the third paragraph. To understand rigor mortis you need to understand 1 basic function of the body.

All muscles work off of the same principle. Basically, this is called an action potential. When you are at rest, your muscles are filling with calcium. When an electronic signal is received by your neurons then it starts an unstoppable reaction with the calcium (built up) inside the neurons and the potassium outside the neurons. The calcium squeezes to the outside of the neuron and the potassium slowly goes to the outside of the neuron. This is a relatively slow process (between .025 - 1 millisecond {which should tell you how amazingly fast it takes to twitch you finger if this is considered "slow"}). When you expire, then you still naturally absorb calcium but don't release the electronic signal that your muscles are normally, "on edge waiting" for to start expunging calcium into an action potential.

TL:DR (too long:didn't read) When you die, your muscles hang up on a state of, "waiting to fire", that you never achieve. This causes "rigor mortis" or "stiffness" (hence the nomenclature of being "a stiff" when you die). So if you don't close someones eyes for them in the first 2-4 hours of their expiration, then you will need to wait another day or two before they relax (note: the calcium "bleeds" out of their system) before you could close their eyes again.

Answer 3

To gently close a deceased person's eyes, use your fingers to carefully lower the eyelids for a peaceful appearance. Be respectful and handle the body with care. It can be a tender gesture to help bring a sense of peace and dignity to the deceased.