Like I get that blood vessels dilate and that’s why they go red, but what is the bodily process that’s occurring which makes them look glassy?
In: Biology
Similar to how marijuana makes your mouth dry, it also drys out your eyes. When the eyes get dry, we form temporary little microscopic scratches on the surface of the cornea, which is the clear dome over the eye(that covers the colored part of the eye).
Tears are important to coat the surface of the eye. There are two types of tears: Basal and Reflex. Basal tears are secreted and spread continuously by the eyes 24/7 and keep the eye surface moist. Reflex tears are those which are produced by pain, external stimulus or irritation.
In the instance of marijuana, your body senses irritation from the dryness/microscopic scratches and produces reflex tears. These reflex tears are analogous to the “emergency tears” and are produced in much greater volume that the basal tears. Your eyes look glassy because reflex tears pool near your lower eyelid. The dilation of the conjunctiva blood vessels are the cherry on top
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