Where do tears come from?

In posts past, I’ve spent a lot of time simplifying what is a rather complex process of how we make tears. This process is a bit like describing how we produce blood - and (less the red and clotting stuff), it is related, in that some blood products (antibodies, proteins, and other immune products) apart from salts and water, are shared. In fact, blood is the primary support for the glands making our tears, so that they can do their job - unsurprisingly, those with major blood problems can also have significant tear problems. In future posts, I’ll attempt to unravel some of the mystery and simplify as best I can about this amazing process. For those who crave the fuller explanation, there is an excellent, more physician-level resource available here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10501785/?fbclid=IwAR3V4f230p6T-Ucji0R3CygMOM03vU5WKxkrXAWrq9d0f-opp0uNnSVyeDI For now, I’ll stick to the Sprinkler System and Firehose analogies with tears being the lifeblood and the blink being the heartbeat. I still like the “salad dressing” and the “salt water” for our describing the two types of tears - but next week we can get a bit more granular with it. Until then, blink strong!

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Jaccoma, call Excellent Vision at either of these two dry eye offices:

(1) 155 Griffin Rd, Portsmouth, NH 03801 (603) 574-2020

(2) 3 Woodland Rd, STE 112 Stoneham, MA 02180 (near Boston) (781) 321-6463