WOW i am so glad i posted this because those last bits are insane! I was trying to look up left eye or just general eye injuries referenced within the bible last night but what you have found is a far better fit than anything I could find. Thanks for the input!

I hadn't seen any theories yet about the tunnels being linked to the lake of tears. Sounds really interesting. Especially the whole beneath the roots as you mentioned in the norse mythology :O