# How does the eye get rid of foreign paritcles?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-eye-get-rid-of-foreign-paritcles/100952>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 30, 2002, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-eye-get-rid-of-foreign-paritcles/100952 "2002-03-30T20:31:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-eye-get-rid-of-foreign-paritcles/100952/1 "2002-03-30T20:31:56Z")

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When you get a rather large dust particle in your eye, and you feel it going down into the back of your eye cavity, how does your body get rid of it?

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**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-eye-get-rid-of-foreign-paritcles/100952/2 "2002-03-30T20:44:48Z")

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The body secretes mucus and it channels it to the nose cavity.

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**Author:** ![femtosecond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@femtosecond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/femtosecond)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-eye-get-rid-of-foreign-paritcles/100952/3 "2002-03-31T14:08:26Z")

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They demonstrated that the eyes are connected to the nose: They gave a man colored eye-drops.  
He blew his nose. Then… then… _he held the handkerchief up to the camera_.

It showed the yellowish-green that only a fluorescent color can achieve. I hope. :eek:

Plus, do you know the trick where you suck milk up your nose and squirt it out of your eye?

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**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-eye-get-rid-of-foreign-paritcles/100952/4 "2002-03-31T14:21:41Z")

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It’s also the reason we need to blow our noses when we cry - the tears flow into the nose.

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**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-eye-get-rid-of-foreign-paritcles/100952/5 "2002-03-31T14:29:38Z")

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The previous posters are correct that tears do the job. And they are also correct that tears drain back into the throat and nose.

But, particles don’t go with them. Particles are floated and lubricated by tears and the movement of the eye and lids eventually moves them to the inner corner and away from the surface of the eyeball.

I think.