Why DO Camels Have Thin Eyelids?

WHY DO CAMELS HAVE THIN EYELIDS?

Why DO camels have thin eyelids?

I came across a reference to a work by David King (Skeleton's on the Sahara; Archibald Robbins also wrote about them) who wrote about the crew of an American ship who were shipwrecked on the African Sahara in the early nineteenth century, and I came across a reference to the eyelids of camels (I just got a copy on cd). Planet pets gives a great illustration of the third eyelid of camels that act like a windshield wiper on a car and wipes the sand away. Since the eyelid is very thin, the camel often closes this eyelid in sandstorms and keeps on walking since he can still see through it. Camels also have long eyelashes that help protect the eyes from the sand. Their feet are also broadened (often as large as a large plate) to walk up on sand with sinking into it.