Potato eyes are sprouts that occur when the potato is ready to begin its next phase of life: growing new potatoes. They are small reddish-white bumps that can quickly turn into centimeters-long sprouts. Potato eyes only form and sprout under favorable growing conditions and after breaking from a dormant state. While they may look innocuous, these sprouts contain concentrated amounts of two kinds of glycoalkaloids: solanine and chaconine, both of which are natural toxins that, when eaten, can cause gastrointestinal distress, including vomiting, cramping, and diarrhea. Therefore, it is not recommended to eat potato eyes. However, if they are small and limited in number, you may cut them out and salvage the rest of the potato.