National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Tears is the National Eye Institute
A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine 
National Institutes of Health
Tears
You may only think of tears as those salty drops that fall from your eyes when you cry. Actually, your tears clean your eyes every time you blink. Tears also keep your eyes moist, which is important for your vision.
Tear glands produce tears, and tear ducts carry the tears from the glands to the surface of your eye. Problems with the tear system can include too many tears, too few tears, or problems with the tear ducts. Treatment of the problem depends on the cause.
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
,
Learn More
, and
Multimedia & Cool Tools
.
For group Basics
For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
,
Reference Shelf
, and
For You
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For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
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Overviews
- Tear System(American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery)
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Diagnosis/Symptoms
- Eye Problems(American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Also available in Spanish
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Treatment
- Dacryocystorhynostomy (DCR) - Creating a New Tear Drain(American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery) - PDF
- How to Use Eye Drops Properly(American Society of Health-System Pharmacists)
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Specific Conditions
- Blocked Tear Duct(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Canaliculitis(Merck & Co., Inc.)
- Dacryocystitis(Merck & Co., Inc.)
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Dry Eye(National Eye Institute)
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What Is Dry Eye?
(American Academy of Ophthalmology)
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
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Videos
- If I Had - A Baby with Chronic Tearing(Insidermedicine)
- If I Had - Dry Eyes(Insidermedicine)
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Dry Eye Syndromes(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Dry Eye Syndromes
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Genetics
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Genetics Home Reference: Triple A syndrome(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Triple A syndrome
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Research
- Caffeine Use May Offer Relief for Millions of Dry Eye Sufferers(American Academy of Ophthalmology)
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Dictionaries/Glossaries
- Glossary of Eye-Related Terms(Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology)
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Directories
- Find an Eye M.D.(American Academy of Ophthalmology)
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Finding an Eye Care Professional(National Eye Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
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Organizations
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Children
- Congenital Lacrimal Obstruction(American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery) - PDF
- Tear-Duct Obstruction and Surgery(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Why Do Eyes Water?(Nemours Foundation)
- Return to top
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Patient Handouts
- Blocked tear duct
- Also available in Spanish
- Dry eye syndrome
- Also available in Spanish
- Dry eyes
- Also available in Spanish
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
