The lacrimal gland is a small, almond-shaped gland that sits in the upper, outer corner of the eye socket, just about parallel to the outer edge of your eyebrow. It produces the aqueous (watery) portion of tears.
Tearshave three layers—water, mucus, and oil layers.Tears are essential for keeping the eye’s surface moist, washing away dirt and debris, and helping to refract (bend) light.
Verywell / Jessica Olah
Without adequate lubrication, your eyes can look red and feel irritated, burning, and gritty—the hallmarks of dry eye disease.
This article will detail the anatomy and function of the lacrimal glands and associated conditions and tests.
Anatomy
Each of your eyes has a lacrimal gland, which sits inside your eye socket, underneath your upper eyelid. The gland itself is small, measuring less than an inch. In an individual, the glands tend to be symmetrical (the one over the left eye similar in size to the one over the right eye).
The lacrimal gland is made up of two parts (called lobes). The larger lobe is the orbital lobe, and the smaller one is the palpebral lobe. A series of ducts, blood vessels, and nerves pass from the orbital lobe into the palpebral one.
The lacrimal gland also has two accessory glands, called the glands of Krause and Wolfring. They are similar in structure to the main lacrimal gland, but they produce just 10% of the fluid the lacrimal gland does.
These glands and the fluid they make provide the eye with essential moisture and act as an important barrier, protecting the eye from foreign matter like dust, dirt, and pollen.
Function
The lacrimal gland produces the aqueous layer of the eye’s tear film. The aqueous layer of tears is made up of water, proteins, vitamins, electrolytes, and other substances. All these help lubricate the eye, wash away debris, and promote overall eye health.
Tears from the lacrimal gland get to the eye via tiny openings. When you blink, that fluid is spread across the eye.Tears drain from the eye via the puncta, small openings in the upper and lower eyelids.
The gland can also trigger tear production when there are stimuli to the eye (for example, a hair gets in your eye or a sharp, cold wind hits the surface of your eye). These are called reflex tears.
Associated Conditions
Dacryoadenitis
Acute dacryoadenitis is more prevalent in younger rather than older people, and chronic dacryoadenitis is seen more often in females, probably because more females than males have autoimmune diseases.
Symptoms of dacryoadenitis include:
Dry Eye Disease
When the lacrimal glands become chronically inflamed, they can’t make as many tears, which can contribute to a common disorder known asdry eye disease.
One in five adults has dry eyes, affecting more females than males and more older people than young.
Symptoms include:
While the vast majority of dry eye disease occurs because ofproblems with the eye’s meibomian gland, which supplies oil to the tear film (helping to keep the watery portion of tears from evaporating), about 10% of dry eye disease is related to lacrimal gland dysfunction.
Sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosisis an inflammatory disease that can affect any part of the body. When it affects structures within the eye—and that can include the lacrimal gland—it is called ocular sarcoidosis. In people with systemic (or whole-body) sarcoidosis, 23%–56% will have eye involvement.
Common symptoms of ocular sarcoidosis are:
Ocular sarcoidosis can cause permanent vision loss, so it is important to follow up with an eye doctor when you are diagnosed with it. Sarcoidosis can also cause iritis, inflammation of the colored iris of the eye.
Tests
The first step your healthcare provider will take to diagnose a problem with your lacrimal gland(s) is ask about your family history and symptoms and perform a physical exam of your eyes.
Depending on what your healthcare provider suspects may be causing your eye problems, a variety of tests may be performed, including:
Summary
Your lacrimal glands play an important role in your eye’s production of tears. But when the gland is inflamed or infected, problems such as dry eyes or dacryoadenitis can occur. These problems are common and highly treatable with remedies like eye drops and, in rarer cases, surgery.
Your healthcare professional may refer you to an ophthalmologist (a specialist in eye diseases), optometrist, or dry eye specialist who can properly diagnose problems with the lacrimal gland and set you on a proper treatment course.
Is Crying Blood Serious?
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Eye anatomy: parts of the eye and how we see.American Academy of Ophthalmology.A quick guide to dry eye.Conrady CD, Joos ZP, Patel BC.Review: The lacrimal gland and its role in dry eye.J Ophthalmol. 2016;2016:7542929. doi:10.1155/2016/7542929Cleveland Clinic.Tear system.Patel R, Patel BC.Dacryoadenitis. StatPearls.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Dacryoadenitis.Findlay Q, Reid K.Dry eye disease: when to treat and when to refer.Aust Prescr. 2018;41(5):160-163. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2018.048Johns Hopkins Medicine.Dry eye.Pasadhika S, Rosenbaum JT.Ocular sarcoidosis.Clin Chest Med. 2015;36(4):669-683. doi:10.1016/j.ccm.2015.08.009Sarcoidosis News.Ocular sarcoidosis.Mount Sinai.Schirmer test.
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Eye anatomy: parts of the eye and how we see.American Academy of Ophthalmology.A quick guide to dry eye.Conrady CD, Joos ZP, Patel BC.Review: The lacrimal gland and its role in dry eye.J Ophthalmol. 2016;2016:7542929. doi:10.1155/2016/7542929Cleveland Clinic.Tear system.Patel R, Patel BC.Dacryoadenitis. StatPearls.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Dacryoadenitis.Findlay Q, Reid K.Dry eye disease: when to treat and when to refer.Aust Prescr. 2018;41(5):160-163. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2018.048Johns Hopkins Medicine.Dry eye.Pasadhika S, Rosenbaum JT.Ocular sarcoidosis.Clin Chest Med. 2015;36(4):669-683. doi:10.1016/j.ccm.2015.08.009Sarcoidosis News.Ocular sarcoidosis.Mount Sinai.Schirmer test.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Eye anatomy: parts of the eye and how we see.American Academy of Ophthalmology.A quick guide to dry eye.Conrady CD, Joos ZP, Patel BC.Review: The lacrimal gland and its role in dry eye.J Ophthalmol. 2016;2016:7542929. doi:10.1155/2016/7542929Cleveland Clinic.Tear system.Patel R, Patel BC.Dacryoadenitis. StatPearls.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Dacryoadenitis.Findlay Q, Reid K.Dry eye disease: when to treat and when to refer.Aust Prescr. 2018;41(5):160-163. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2018.048Johns Hopkins Medicine.Dry eye.Pasadhika S, Rosenbaum JT.Ocular sarcoidosis.Clin Chest Med. 2015;36(4):669-683. doi:10.1016/j.ccm.2015.08.009Sarcoidosis News.Ocular sarcoidosis.Mount Sinai.Schirmer test.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Eye anatomy: parts of the eye and how we see.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.A quick guide to dry eye.
Conrady CD, Joos ZP, Patel BC.Review: The lacrimal gland and its role in dry eye.J Ophthalmol. 2016;2016:7542929. doi:10.1155/2016/7542929
Cleveland Clinic.Tear system.
Patel R, Patel BC.Dacryoadenitis. StatPearls.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Dacryoadenitis.
Findlay Q, Reid K.Dry eye disease: when to treat and when to refer.Aust Prescr. 2018;41(5):160-163. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2018.048
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Dry eye.
Pasadhika S, Rosenbaum JT.Ocular sarcoidosis.Clin Chest Med. 2015;36(4):669-683. doi:10.1016/j.ccm.2015.08.009
Sarcoidosis News.Ocular sarcoidosis.
Mount Sinai.Schirmer test.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
