About Tears

Tears help your eyes to stay moist, healthy and comfortable. The human eye is lubricated by two types of tears produced by glands in the upper and lower eyelid.

Constant Tears are continuously formed to lubricate the eye and contain natural antibiotics to help fight infections.
Reflex Tears are produced only in response to irritation, injury or emotion and help to rinse the surface of the eye.

A balance is necessary between the two types of tears to ensure that your eyes are comfortable and protected. When constant tear flow is reduced there is irritation that can cause excessive reflex tearing (“watery eyes”). These excess tears lack the oil needed to prevent them from evaporating and do not lubricate the eye.
The tear has three main layers that work together to keep your eyes comfortable and protected. An outer oily layer, a middle watery layer and an inner layer than contains mucous. If anything upsets the balance between them, your tears can be of poorer quality or evaporate too quickly. This may leave your eyes feeling scratchy or irritated.

A lack of tears, inadequate lubrication, or tears draining or evaporating too quickly from the eye result in a condition known as Dry Eye. Tears can be reproduced by using eye drops called artificial tears. They replace the moisture that is missing and lubricate the eyes. They are an effective treatment to alleviate dry eye symptoms.