OK picture a movie scene...

[dave_c]

Let's say a death scene, a man dies, the starring hero obligatory shouts out 'NOOOOO!', the dead man's eyes still open, the hero literally waves his hand over the eyes to close it. So my question is that possible to close a dead person's eyes as simple as that?

[stevie21]

Do you mean that you think there's more to it than physically moving the eyelids with your hand?
Should the eyelids be any different to moving someone's arm after they've died?

[goldenboy]

my dad used to be a nurse on an a and e ward and he told me that eyes have a tendancy to pop open again when shut in the film way, and that often they are stitched shut. he could have been winding me up though

[boobesque]

not sure goldenboy, my ex husband was a nurse in a care home and said the eyes used to pop open again.

[Golem]

As a paramedic for 15 years, it's my experience that eyelids do not easily stay closed. They are easy to move, but require a gentle but firm pressure; it's certainly more than the 'hand waving' portrayed in the movies. (Realistic death scenes are rare in films). In the first few minutes of death the eyelids retain their elasticity so slide back up the eyeball fairly easily. This is often distressing for family members who want to see the deceased looking as if they are asleep, not staring vacantly into space.

Even more difficult to deal with is the jaw, whose natural position is to fall open and stay open. The movie image of a body with good skin colour, closed eyes and mouth really does create a false impression. It is possible to close the mouth by putting a pillow under the head and pulling blankets tightly up under the chin if the person is in bed or careful bandaging if there has been a head injury. But whatever the situation, I explain to the family how the deceased will look before they view the body because the movie image is now so ingrained in our expectations that the shock is compounded when they see what really happens.

A modern classic text that describes everything that happens at the moment of death from the biological, practical, religious and legal aspects is Death to Dust - what happens to dead bodies? by Kenneth V. Iserson Galen Press 1994.

Enjoy!

[dave_c]

Thansk for the answer Gollum, so that dead eye doesn't physiologically react to light flickering to dark?

By the way, did you enjoy your 15 years of service? Would you recommend it and why did you stop it?

[Golem]

If you're describing the pupil of the eye, then no, that doesn't react to light. It's one of the tests we do to establish death, shining a light in the eyes. All the bodies muscles have stopped working, even the small muscle that controls the reflex action of the pupil.

Still working as a paramedic. Not a job everyone could do; shift work can be very disruptive to social life, family life and your own body; often hours of boredom with minutes of franctic activity; it's not all blood and guts - 80% of calls are really not emergencies that require our medical skills so some people find that very frustrating. It's the other 20% that provide the challenges and satisfaction. It takes most people 5 years to decide if they're going to make a life-long committment to the profession.

That's my experience at least.

[Italie]

I work in a mortuary and, no eyes dont stay shut easily. If someone dies with their eyes closed then they will remain closed but otherwise there is usually some sort of opening. We have a few ethical tricks that can be used to keep them closed however this is usually left up to the Funeral Directors who, as they are not regulated, use their own methods of keeping eyes and jaws closed! Dont ask!