Not sure if this is the same thing, but I had a college roommate who used to talk in his sleep with his eyes open. He made perfect sense and we would have full conversations, but there was one idea he couldn’t understand: “Are you asleep?” He would get completely confused at this, and not know how to answer. In the morning he wouldn’t remember our conversations at all.
I had an uncle who would sleep with his eyes wide open and then talk in his sleep. Scared the hell out of his wife!
I had a roommate in college who slept with his eyes open. On more than one occasion, I entered the room and began a conversation, carrying on for some time before I realized he wasn’t responding. It was quite odd and unsettling. Some might even say . . . creepy. 
He occasionally talked in his sleep, but it never coincided with his eyes being open, at least in my presence. One one occasion, however, he wrote in his sleep! Like many college students, we had lofted bunks which were close to the ceiling. Once I saw him lying on his back tracing words with his finger on the ceiling. He made the same motions over and over, and eventually, I was even able to make out what he was writing.
Not really related to the OP, but when I was younger, I wouldn’t close my eyes when I was trying to fall asleep. I’d keep my eyes wide open until, presumably, I’d finally nod off and my eyes would close. Or maybe I was one of those weirdos who slept with their eyes open. I had my own room, so I may never know.
To be fair, I said freaky.
Yup. I fell asleep driving once, with my eyes open I’m happy to say ('cause otherwise I wouldn’t be typing this). It was the middle of the night on a backroad, and I woke up as the stop sign flashed in the headlights. Fortunately for me, there was no one coming, and the road continued on the other side of the stop sign.
Lesson learned–I’ve never driven so tired since.
Fascinating. How wide are the eyes open in some of your cases? We talking wide open, normal slightly, or just barely?
Myself, my son and daughter - usually just halfway open, perhaps a little less. However, I’ve seen my son sleep with his eyes wide open on one or two occasions. It’s really… um, what’s the word I’m looking for…?
I sleep with mine about a quarter open. Wife says it’s creepy. Now I will not sleep in public.
According to people who have seen me sleep, my eyes are usually about half open. It IS indeed freaky (bothers the hell out of me that I know I do it) and my eyes do indeed dry out quite a bit when I sleep. As for the visual equivalent of a loud noise, I’ve had people standing over me talking and waving their hands in front of my eyes and I’ve gone right on sleeping. When I was quite ill on a moving day, I fell asleep on the sofa and was moved, sofa and all, to a whole new house, and when I did finally wake up, my parents’ friends who helped us move would NOT stop talking about me sleeping with my eyes open.
Well, what was he writing???
“I see dead people!” lol 
I play Dungeons and Dragons and one of my players has a character called Gandalf. Can he sue this book? (obviously my mate thought of it first!)
Thanks, Weirddave. About time!
He was writing “Be the solution not the problem.” Lame, I know. You can see why I thought the story needed a little suspense! He had a high opinion of himself, though, and was quite pleased at the pithiness of his subconscious when I told him about it after he woke up.
My father sleeps with his eyes open…
in the dentist’s chair! :eek:
He loves going to the dentist. Says it’s the only time he gets to take a nap in the middle of the day. He’ll just sit down, go to sleep (with his eyes open) and the dentist will wake him when he’s done!
The phenomenon is known as a “Microslip”, I believe. They do ads here on TV imploring people not to drive when tired, lest they experience the phenomenon you described- except, instead of snapping out of it, they become a Tree Monk or an Oncoming Traffic Monk. :eek:
I sleep with my eyes about a quarter open or so. I don’t think I’ve ever had a problem with my eyeballs drying out.
In response to what Chronos said, i do not think that makes you a nerd but I didn’t want people to think I was a nerd. I am not saying that nerds are bad, I am just stating that I am not a nerd and would not like for people to think I was one.