Eagles blink up as their top eyelid is larger than the bottom one; the additional inner eyelid is known as a nictitating membrane, which “grows in the inner corner of the eye, next to the tear duct”. Eagle tears moisten the eyes and contain the chemical lysozyme which protects against salt water and also destroys bacteria, thus preventing eye infections. The nictitating membrane acts a sweeping wiper across the eye.[2] The eagle iris is a pale yellow colour, much lighter than human eyes.