Notes and References. 1  U.S. Senate: Reference Home > Glossary > Christmas tree bill. 2  Lardner, George (1966) The Day Congress Played Santa: A Look at the Christmas Tree Bill, Washington Post, 25 December, p. A1, A10. 3  Shribman, David (1983) It Began as a Rather Ordinary Piece of Legislation, New York Times, 9 November, p. A22.
When the individual is awake, blinking of the eyelid causes rheum to be washed away with tears via the nasolacrimal duct. The absence of this action during sleep, however, results in a small amount of dry rheum accumulating in corners of the eye, most notably in children.
Other potential causes of eye redness include: 1  Colds or allergies. 2  Acute glaucoma: A sudden increase in eye pressure that is extremely painful and causes serious visual problems.  Corneal scratches: Injuries caused by sand, dust, or overuse of contact lenses.