Tears emerge from your lacrimal glands, which are under your eyelids and above your eyes. They spread across the surface of your cornea and drain from your eyes through tear ducts in the corners of your eyelids.
One person produces 15 to 30 gallons of tears per year.
If you’ve ever tasted your tears, you may have noticed how salty they are. Tears are salty because they are made from water from our body that contains electrolytes (salt ions)
Tears are 98% water. The remaining 2%, which is responsible for the salty taste, contain:
Oils
Salt
More than 1,500 proteins
Our bodies use electrolytes to create electricity that helps power our brains and move our muscles.
There are actually three kinds of tears
Basal tears – clean and lubricate your eyes
Reflex tears – which drain when your eyes are irritated by things like onions or pollen
Emotional tears – This one needs no explanation!
A baby who cries for more than 3 hours a day, more than 3 days a week, for more than 3 weeks may have colic, which is excessive crying without a known cause.
Do Tears Change During Sleep?
Tears change when we fall asleep. When you’re asleep, your tear ducts add less protein and water to your tears but boost antibodies. Cells that fight infection also move to your eye.
Your tears may also mix with oils, mucus, and skin cells while you sleep to make crusts in the corners of your eyes. Since you don’t blink when you’re sleeping, this mixture hardens in the corners of your eyes. It stays there until you wake up and blink.
Tear ducts can become blocked:
The ducts that drain tears from your eyes can become blocked due to ageing, infection, inflammation, injury, tumour, or cyst. A blocked tear means tears can't be drain properly, causing symptoms of excessive tearing and watery eyes. Blocked ducts can also increase risk of eye infection and inflammation.
Credits: Sabitha
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