Buzz
Unlike other exposed parts of the body, eyeballs seem particularly fragile and sensitive—especially when it comes to being scratched or poked. However, if dropped from the top of a five-story staircase, as Nerdist reports, they surprisingly endure.
By 'surprisingly enduring,' we mean that it won’t hit the ground with a disturbing splat. Instead, as shown by Institute of Human Anatomy researchers Jonathan Bennion and Justin Cottle in the video below, the easily compressible eye will actually bounce.
For their experiment, Bennion and Cottle used cow eyeballs, which, in addition to being headed for the institute’s waste bin, are quite similar to human eyes (unlike goat eyes). Essentially, the eyeball consists of three layers, known as tunics. The outermost one, the fibrous tunic, is divided into two parts—the sclera, which is white, and the cornea—both made of what Bennion describes as “dense connective tissue.” The strength of this tissue helps maintain the eye’s round shape when external forces (such as being dropped from a five-story height) attempt to alter it.
Although no eyeball drop from any height produced a bounce as dramatic as a superball, the fact that any bounce occurs at all is impressive for something made of tissue rather than rubber. If you can get past the cringe-worthy nature of the experiment, watching it in action might make you feel more confident about your own eyeball's ability to withstand pressure without cracking (or splatting).
