Why do your eyes water

At a guess, your body thinks you have breathed in a gas (or something thats not soo good) and them to protect this possable gas that you may be in from damaging your eyesight it cleans them out?

Thats just a total guess, maby your just a wimp so stop greeting :p
 
TheCrow said:
At a guess, your body thinks you have breathed in a gas (or something thats not soo good) and them to protect this possable gas that you may be in from damaging your eyesight it cleans them out?

Thats just a total guess, maby your just a wimp so stop greeting :p

I'm going with total geuss :P
 
I think it may be as much a case of the body trying to be efficient, with all similar close defence mechanisms being controlled by the same part of the nervous system (ie the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system) - and stimulation of one aspect increases the sensitivity of the others.

So in addition to the cough reflex and gag reflex being stimulated, the lacrimal glands are stimulated (to produce tears), your pupils constrict (so you are better at seeing nearby threats), you get goose pimples (body raising hairs to conserve heat), and you produce more saliva (in addition to a number of other things)

Effectively it is the opposite to the 'fight or flight' response, controlled by the sympathetic branch - which gives you dry mouth and eyes, wide pupils (better for seeing distant objects and for running away from predators), you sweat to lose heat and your heart/breathing rates increase
 
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