Why some people died with their eyes open?
438126
Even if you have your eyes closed when you die, the muscles relax and the eyes open again.  That's why they used to put coins on the eyes of the dead--to keep them shut.  Now the undertaker just sews them closed.\nI always thought maybe people died with their eyes open because they wanted one last look at the world.
1033565
I think that's a Jewish practice.  When a family member or friend dies, they cover all of the mirrors so that they only think about the deceased and not worry about looking at themselves in the mirror.  I think that's right.  Every religion has different ways to behave when someone dies.
1095806
I think a vast majority are psychological only.  People can be so emotionally distressed that they actually cry blood, so why couldn't they envision such things when near death?
871902
I am a nurse working on the night shift.  I often see people sleeping with their eyes open on my hourly rounds.  It really creeps me out!  Sleeping with eyes open would dry eyes out terribly and corneal abrasions would probably occur.  Not a  silly question.  You might also post it in the health forum.
68555
I can't go beyond what Phillip has already pointed out. But this question brings up something very, very interesting. See my study below regarding brides whose deaths were NOT recorded. (there is a reason)
9646
Some people naturally do this and many people unknowingly sleep with their eyes partway open.  Most people need to close their eyes to be able to fall asleep, though.
292621
It is due to natural selection. Those of us who can breath oxygen without suffocating survive and those who can't die.
535353
Oh sure, it happens all the time. I don't know why you've only heard of ONE person dying. It happens everyday. This is what happens. When you get the hiccups, your body has been tricked into thinking that it can't get air. Why does this happen you ask? It's because when you eat beef that was grown with steroids it creates a chemical that reactes with a chemical in your diaphragm and it makes your body think that it is suffocating. Well here's the deal with that. Most people's bodies don't create enough of this chemical to do them any harm. But 1 out of 10 people's bodies make 4 times as much of this chemical as needed, so it reacts 4 times as strong which in turn creates a vacuum inside your lungs each time you hiccup and it finally implodes on your lungs...and you die.
495135
Because back in the old days people would sometimes "pass out" and as a result be buried alive. When they realized that people were being buried alive they started waiting three days to see if the person was really dead of if they would "wake" up
835265
Yes, it leads to blindness.  I can only see out of one eye now due to excessive consumption during my youth.  If only Yahoo Answers had existed then!
491912
It gives the dead a person a chance to wake up, just in case they aren't really dead. Historically (when medical knowledge was less developed) there was a fear of misjudging someone as dead and inadvertendly burying them alive.\n\nAn Irish song called Finnegan's Wake plays on this idea where the guy does wake up when hit with a bucket of beer or jug of whiskey.
232219
yes, its called sleep apnea, you dont get enough oxygen and you pass out, it can actually be fatal
321713
I once heard a story that human beings at one stage in their development did have a third eye,I don't know if there is any medical evidence of this or not,it will be interesting to read your replies
205693
Yes, because when dead people are in water their bodies swell causing them to float to the surface. Then they are free to attack anyone on the surface. If you pop them though, man, look out.
124084
Back in the old west when the used to do this sort of thing, normally you didn't suffocate, the fall from the stage would snap your neck and you would die instantly. Some people were even decapitated while being hanged! :(
226430
Since none of us died, we don't know if that happens. It may be crazy survivor stories. Or it could be when your brain can't get enough oxygen, you may have synestatic experiences due to a hormone imbalance.
646453
Trust me your not the only one!!! I have seen many more die in my presence.  Dont worry, your not wierd.  But yea, it is hard to deal with, especially when you are with them when they die or when you escape death and they dont.