Dry eye

"My eyes feel dry, gritty and I get a kind of burning sensation in my eyes."

It could be due to a condition called as Dry eye. Before we go on to talk about the condition itself, we need to know more about the normal eye structure. What is it, that keeps our eyes moist? Tear Glands, off course! But find out, how the whole tearing system really functions!

The tear glands are also called the Lacrimal Glands. Now think about it, we need tears to keep our eyes moist, but tears should not flow out , that would be inconvenient! So, we need a constant drainage for our tears. We have been gifted with a wonderful lacrimal system. Lacrimal gland producing tears, the eyelid movement that spreads the tears and a drainage hole called lacrimal punctum, that leads to the piping system that opens into the nose.

More about Dry eye

Details about the Lacrimal system

Anatomy of the Lacrimal System

The lacrimal system consists of -

	Lacrimal (Tear) gland - This is an almond shaped gland, located at the upper outer corner of each eye, just below the frontal bone. It produces tears.
	Conjunctival mucus gland secretion is an important part of tears.
	Lacrimal punctum - is an opening located at the innermost corner of both the upper and lower lid. They collect tears from the eyes and drain it into the lacrimal canaliculi.
	Lacrimal canaliculi - These tubes course along the inner lid margins and join to form the lacrimal sac.
	Lacrimal sac - Located on the inner side of the eye, between the eye and the nose.
	Nasolacrimal duct - It is the tube that runs from the sac into the nose.

So ultimately, the tears from the eyes flow along the lacrimal passages into the nose.

So now you know why nose becomes stuffy after crying!

A thin tear film covers our eyes at all times. The tear film contains three parts -

	Oily layer
	Watery layer
	Mucus layer.

This tear film lubricates the eye and helps in clear vision. Blinking the eyes help in maintaining the tear film.

When there is irritation, the nerves in the eye, send signals to the nerve to produce more secretions, which flows out of the eye.

Dry Eye