The tear system
Lacrimal apparatus · apparatus lacrimalis
The glands, ducts and sac that make tears and drain them into your nose.
What it does
The lacrimal gland, tucked under the outer upper edge of the eye socket, produces tears that wash across the eye with each blink. They drain through two tiny holes in the inner corners of the lids into a sac beside the nose and then down a duct into the nasal cavity.
Surprising fact
Emotional tears, reflex tears from onions and the constant basal tears that keep your eyes moist are all slightly different in their chemical make-up.
Why it matters
Because tears drain into your nose, crying makes your nose run. Babies' tear ducts sometimes stay blocked for a few months, causing a watery, sticky eye.
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Sources
Drafted with AI help; awaiting a human fact-check against these sources.
Open in the 3D atlas · Suggest a correction · Not medical advice.
3D models: Z-Anatomy & BodyParts3D (CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2.1 JP). Card text CC BY 4.0.