You may think of tears as simply salt water, or a reaction to sadness, happiness—or even the cutting of an onion.
But tears are actually a complicated, perfectly balanced mixture of ingredients that constantly are working to keep your eyes lubricated and healthy. In fact, did you know that every time you blink, a thin film of tears coats your cornea?
Tears are produced by tiny tear glands under your upper eyelids and are made up of three layers:
Aqueous, a water-based element, makes up the largest part of the body’s tear “recipe.” Aqueous is the inner layer of a tear.
Lipids, formed by oil-secreting glands, keep the aqueous from quickly evaporating. Lipids are the outer layer of a tear.
An inner layer of protein mucous helps the aqueous “stick” to the cornea.
All of these elements must be present in the right amounts for the eyes to function properly. Otherwise, eyes can feel like they have grains of sand on them, which is not very comfortable!
At Horizon Eye Care, we see patients every day experiencing the symptoms of Dry Eye Syndrome, when eyes do not produce enough quality tears to keep their eyes comfortable.
