Have you ever imagined when you cry why do tears come out? Or what are tears made of? Where do they reside? Well, tears are secreted by lacrimal glands / lachrymal glands. These are exocrine glands located above the eye ball, in the anterior part of the orbit. It secretes the lacrimal fluid, also known as the tear fluid, that keeps the surface of the eyes moist and free from infections as it contains many proteins and enzymes, most importantly the lyzozymes. It protects the conjunctiva and the cornea of the eye. When we cry or get emotional, these glands get triggered and they start to secrete in excess. This excess amount of secretion gets out of the eyes in the form of a watery fluid, known as tears.

the lacrimal glands receives signals from the brain, both parasympathetic and sympathetic.

· The lachrymal glands are controlled by trigeminal nerves – the lacrimal nerve originates from the ophthalmic nerve of the trigeminal nerve.

· Parasympathetic neurons stimulate the secretion of fluids

· Sympathetic neurons regulates the blood flow through lacrimal glands

This watery fluid or tear is composed of the following –

· electrolytes (such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, carbonates and bicarbonates)

· proteins and enzymes – the most important to be noted is lysozyme that protects the eyes from bacterial infections

· immunoglobulins such as IgA

· mucous – as tears provide lubrication as well

the major role of this gland is to protect the eyes from infections and provide lubrication to the surface of the eyes. It maintains the moist fluid environment and with each blink these secrete their fluid – tear fluid. That is why when we try to control the blinking of the eyes, they get watery as when we finally blink all the accumulated fluid of the missed blinks gets secreted.

This was a short note on lachrymal glands. I hope this would help.