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Tears
Summary
You may only think of tears as those salty drops that fall from your eyes when you cry. Actually, your tears clean your eyes every time you blink. Tears also keep your eyes moist, which is important for your vision.
Tear glands produce tears, and tear ducts carry the tears from the glands to the surface of your eye. Problems with the tear system can include too many tears, too few tears, or problems with the tear ducts. Treatment of the problem depends on the cause.
National Eye Institute
Specifics
- Blocked Tear Duct Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Canaliculitis Merck & Co., Inc.
- Dacryocystitis Merck & Co., Inc.
- Dry Eye National Eye Institute
- What Is Dry Eye? American Academy of Ophthalmology
Patient Handouts
- Blocked tear duct Medical Encyclopedia
- Dry eye syndrome Medical Encyclopedia
- Watery eyes Medical Encyclopedia
Treatments and Therapies
- Choosing Wisely When It Comes to Eye Care: Punctal Plugs for Dry Eye American Academy of Ophthalmology
- How to Use Eye Drops American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Dry Eye Syndromes National Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases National Institutes of Health
NIH MedlinePlus Magazine
Diagnosis and Tests
- Eye Problems: Symptom Checker Flowchart American Academy of Family Physicians
Find an Expert
- Find an Ophthalmologist American Academy of Ophthalmology
- Finding an Eye Doctor National Eye Institute
- National Eye Institute National Eye Institute
Encyclopedia
- Lacrimal gland tumor Medical Encyclopedia
- Schirmer test Medical Encyclopedia
Children
- Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
- Surgery for Tear Duct Blockage Nemours Foundation
- Treating Tear-Duct Blockage (Tear Duct Massage) (For Parents) Nemours Foundation
- Treating Tear-Duct Blockage (Tear Duct Probe) (For Parents) Nemours Foundation
Reference Desk
- NEI for Kids: Glossary National Eye Institute
Journal Articles
Genetics
- Triple A syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine