Tears are the liquid product of a process of crying to clean and lubricate the eyes Eyes are organs that detect light, and convert it to electro-chemical impulses in neurons. The simplest photoreceptors connect light to movement . In higher organisms complex neural pathways exist that connect the eye, via the optic nerve to the visual cortex and other areas of the brain. Complex optical systems with resolving power have come in. The word lacrimation (from L. Lacrima meaning Tear) (also spelled lachrymation) may also be used in a medical or literary sense to refer to crying Crying is shedding tears as a response to an emotional state in humans. The act of crying has been defined as "a complex secretomotor phenomenon characterized by the shedding of tears from the lacrimal apparatus, without any irritation of the ocular structures". The medical term for this is to lacrimate, which also refers to non-. Strong emotions, such as sorrow It is one of four interconnected sentiments in the system of Alexander Faulkner Shand, the others being fear, anger, and joy. In this system, when an impulsive tendency towards some important object is frustrated, the resultant sentiment is sorrow or elation Happiness is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources, may lead to crying. The process of yawning may also result in lacrimation.
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Physiology
In humans, the tear film coating the eye, known as the precorneal film, has three distinct layers, from the most outer surface:
Having a thin tear film may prevent one's ability to wear contact lenses A contact lens is a corrective, cosmetic, or therapeutic lens usually placed on the cornea of the eye. Leonardo da Vinci is credited with describing and sketching the first ideas for contact lenses in 1508, but it was more than 300 years later before contact lenses were actually fabricated and worn on the eye. Modern soft contact lenses were as the amount of oxygen Oxygen (pronounced /ˈɒksɨdʒɨn/, OK-si-jin, from the Greek roots ὀξύς (acid, literally "sharp", from the taste of acids) and -γενής (-genēs) (producer, literally begetter), is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. It is a member of the chalcogen group on the periodic table, and is a highly needed is higher than normal and contact lenses stop oxygen from entering the eye. Eyes with thin tear film will dry out while wearing contact lenses. Special eye drops Eye drops are saline-containing drops used as a vector to administer medication in the eye. Depending on the condition being treated, they may contain steroids, antihistamines, sympathomimetics, beta receptor blockers, parasympathomimetics, parasympatholytics, prostaglandins, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or topical anesthetics. Eye drops are available for contact lens wearers. Certain types of contact lenses are designed to let more oxygen through to the eye.
Drainage of tear film
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The lacrimal glands secrete lacrimal fluid which flows through the main excretory ducts into the space between the eyeball and lids. When the eyes blink, the lacrimal fluid is spread across the surface of the eye. Lacrimal fluid gathers in the lacrimal lake The lacrimal lake is the pool of tears in the lower conjunctival cul-de-sac, which drains into the opening of the tear drainage system . The volume of the lacrimal lake has been estimated to be between 7 and 10 µL, and is drawn into the puncta by capillary action, then flows through the lacrimal canaliculi The lacrimal canaliculi, also known as the lacrimal canals or lacrimal ducts, are the small channels in each eyelid that commence at minute orifices, termed puncta lacrimalia, on the summits of the papillae lacrimales, seen on the margins of the lids at the lateral extremity of the lacus lacrimalis at the inner corner of the eyelids entering the lacrimal sac The lacrimal sac is the upper dilated end of the nasolacrimal duct, and is lodged in a deep groove formed by the lacrimal bone and frontal process of the maxilla. It connects the lacrimal canaliculi, which drain tears from the eye's surface, and the nasolacrimal duct, which conveys this fluid into the nasal cavity[1], then on to the nasolacrimal duct The nasolacrimal duct carries tears from the lacrimal sac into the nasal cavity. Excess tears flow through nasolacrimal duct which opens in the nose. This is the reason the nose starts to run when a person is crying or has watery eyes from an allergy, and why one can sometimes taste eye drops, and finally into the nasal cavity The nasal cavity conditions the air to be received by the other areas of the respiratory tract. Owing to the large surface area provided by the conchae, the air passing through the nasal cavity is warmed or cooled to within 1 degree of body temperature. In addition, the air is humidified, and dust and other particulate matter is removed by. An excess of tears, as with strong emotion Emotion is a complex psychological and physiological phenomenon involving an individual's state of mind and its interaction between that individual and their environment. In humans, emotion fundamentally involves "physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience". Emotion is associated with mood, temperament,, can thus cause the nose to run. [1]
Types
There are three very basic types of tears:
Neural Aspects
The trigeminal V1 (fifth cranial) nerve bears the sensory pathway of the tear reflexes. When the trigeminal nerve is cut, tears from reflexes will stop, but not emotional tears. Likewise, application of cocaine to the surface of the eye inhibits the reflex even under exposure to strong tear gases [CITATION NEEDED]. The motor pathway is autonomic (involuntary), and generally uses the pathway of the facial (seventh) nerve in the parasympathetic division. In parasympathetic imitators (such as acetylcholine), more tears are produced, and an anticholinergic drug like atropine, inhibits tear production. A newborn infant has insufficient development of nervous control, so s/he "cries without weeping." Lest the cornea be damaged in surgery or other failure of lacrimal function occur, it is not a serious matter, for the accessory glands are enough for general secretion. In reflex situations, copious tears are produced mainly in emergencies.
Diseases and disorders
Main article: List of eye diseases and disordersQuality of vision is affected by the stability of the tear film.[4]
"Crocodile tears syndrome" is an uncommon consequence of nerve regeneration subsequent to Bell's palsy or other damage to the facial nerve in which efferent fibers from the inferior salivary nucleus become improperly connected to nerve axons projecting to the lacrimal glands (tear ducts), causing one to shed tears (lacrimate) during salivation while smelling foods or eating. Presumably, one would also salivate while crying due to the inverse improper connection of the lacrimal nucleus to the salivary glands, but this would be less noticeable.[5]
Keratoconjunctivitis sicca, more commonly known as dry eye, is a very common disorder of the tear film. Paradoxically, sufferers can experience watering of the eyes which is in fact a response to irritation caused by the original tear film deficiency.
"Leamy Eye" is a condition whereby there is excessive watering of one eye, seemingly for no apparent reason, in response to environmental stimuli.
Familial dysautonomia is a genetic condition which can be associated with a lack of overflow tears (alacria) during emotional crying.[6]
Societal aspects
Most mammals will produce tears in response to extreme pain[citation needed] or other stimuli, but crying as an emotional reaction is considered by many[who?] to be a uniquely human phenomenon, possibly due to humans' advanced self-awareness. However, some studies suggest that elephants, gorillas, and camels may cry.[7]
In nearly all cultures, crying is seen as a specific act associated with tears trickling down the cheeks and accompanied by characteristic sobbing sounds. Emotional triggers are most often sadness and grief, but crying can also be triggered by anger, happiness, fear, laughter or humor, frustration, remorse or other strongly-experienced emotions. In many cultures, crying is associated with babies and children. Some cultures consider crying to be undignified and infantile, casting aspersions on those who cry publicly, except if it is due to the death of a close friend or relative. In most cultures, it is more socially acceptable for women and children to cry than men. In some Latin regions crying among men is acceptable.[8][9][10]
Some modern therapy movements such as Re-evaluation Counseling teach that crying is beneficial to health and mental well-being, encouraging it positively.[11] An insincere display of grief or dishonest remorse is sometimes called crocodile tears in reference to an Ancient Greek anecdote that crocodiles would pretend to weep while luring or devouring their prey.[12] Additionally, in medical terms, someone is said to have Crocodile tears syndrome as an uncommon consequence of recovery from Bell's palsy, where faulty regeneration of the facial nerve causes sufferers to shed tears while eating.
In fiction a single tear can mean an intense display of emotion, ranging from sad to nostalgiac. It is most commonly portrayed as a single tear traveling down the left cheek, as all singular tears originate in the left eye.[citation needed]
See also
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tears |
| Look up tears in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
References
- ^ a b "eye, human."Encyclopædia Britannica from Encyclopædia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD 2009
- ^ Ocular Pathology Study Guide: Tear Proteins
- ^ Skorucak A. "The Science of Tears." ScienceIQ.com. Accessed September 29, 2006.
- ^ Szczesna DH, Jaronski J, Kasprzak HT, Stenevi U. "Interferometric measurements of dynamic changes of tear film." J Biomed Opt. 2006 May-Jun;11(3):34028. PMID 16822077.
- ^ [Crocodile tears syndrome] [Acta Otorrinolaringol Esp. 1990 May-Jun] - PubMed Result
- ^ * Felicia B Axelrod and Gabrielle Gold-von Simson (October 3, 2007). "Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathies: types II, III, and IV". Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases 2 (39): 39. doi:10.1186/1750-1172-2-39. PMID 17915006. PMC 2098750. http://www.ojrd.com/content/2/1/39. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ^ Masson, Jeffrey Moussaieff, McCarthy, Susan, When Elephants Weep, Delta 1996 isbn: 978-0385314282
- ^ Dianne Hales (October 2005). "Big Boys Don't Cry -- and Other Myths About Men and Their Emotions (page 2 of 3)". Reader's Digest. http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/big-boys-dont-cry----and-other-myths-about-men-and-their-emotions/article18053-1.html. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
- ^ Fran Metcalf (May 8, 2008). "These days it's OK for men to cry, say famous guys". The Courier Mail. http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23660131-23272,00.html. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
- ^ John-Paul Flintoff (August 30, 2003). "Why we cry". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/27/1061663846142.html. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
- ^ Re-evaluation Counseling site: "The Recovery Process"
- ^ World Wide Words: Crocodile tears
External links
- Nasolacrimal System Anatomy - eMedicine.com
- PERSONAL HEALTH : "University of Minnesota researchers who are studying the chemical composition of tears have recently isolated two important chemicals, leucine- enkephalin and prolactin, from emotional tears. The first of these may be an endorphin, one of the body's natural pain-relieving substances. - Both chemicals are found only in tears that are shed in response to emotion. Tears shed because of exposure to a cut onion would contain no such substance." By JANE E. BRODY, published February 22, 1984
Categories: Human physiology | Eye | Body fluids
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Looks like the Vancouver Canucks may have to rethink trading away defenceman Kevin Bieksa. The club announced Friday that fellow blueliner Sami Salo is out indefinitely after suffering an Achilles . tear. in training.
Q. Its for a halloween costume, she is being a baby and wants to have noticeable fake tears that will stay on easy. How do you do this?! Thanks.
Asked by small.town.gal.54 - Tue Oct 21 23:35:55 2008 - - 6 Answers - 0 Comments
A. You can get a hot glue gun and make the shape of a tear out of the hot glue. Don't touch it yet. Let it dry! When it is dry you can get double sided tape or you could get false eyelashes and use the glue from that to glue them on. it works great!
Answered by Dancealways - Wed Oct 22 00:32:27 2008


