Tears
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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.
Diagnosis and Tests
- Eye Problems: Symptom Checker Flowchart (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
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 Properly (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists)
Specifics
- Blocked Tear Duct (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Canaliculitis (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
- Dacryocystitis (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
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Dry Eye
(National Eye Institute)
-
What Is Dry Eye?
(American Academy of Ophthalmology)
Also in Spanish
Genetics
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Genetics Home Reference: triple A syndrome
(National Library of Medicine)
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Dry Eye Syndromes
(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Reference Desk
- Glossary of Terms (Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology)
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NEI for Kids: Glossary
(National Eye Institute)
Find an Expert
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Finding an Eye Care Professional
(National Eye Institute)
Also in Spanish
-
National Eye Institute
Children
- Tear-Duct Obstruction and Surgery (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Why Do Eyes Water? (Nemours Foundation)
Patient Handouts
- Blocked tear duct (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Dry eye syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Watery eyes (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish