Tears in Our Eyes
Jock Mackenzie, Article | Avery Sosnowski, Artwork
Someone said, “You don’t know what you don’t know.”
My problem has often been that I thought I knew — but
found out I didn’t. I guess my vision was blurred. And
like a word association game I used to play with my
Language Arts students to get them to come up with
ideas, vision made me think of eyes, eyes made me
think of tears, and tears made me think of where
tears come from. I thought tears originated in the
corners of my eyes. Wrong. And so, this article: a
series of questions and answers.
Where do tears come from?
Tears come from above our eyes,
from the lacrimal gland, which
has a series of ducts that secrete
tears down into our eyes.
Are there different kinds
of tears?
We have three main types of
tears. Most of us have a good
supply of basal tears. These are
secreted from above the eye, the
eyelid blinks and distributes them
across the eye’s surface, and, in
turn, they perform three more
purposes: lubrication, protection
from debris, and nourishment.
Reflex tears form when they’re
needed — when you encounter
smoke or cut an onion or get too
close to Auntie Irene and her
cloying perfume. They may also
appear in reaction to bright light
or particularly spicy food.
Emotional tears, also known
as psychic tears, are exactly
what the name suggests. We
create tears as an emotional
response: joy, sadness, anger,
mourning, pain, speeding tickets.
Emotional tears have been called
our body’s “stabilizer” because,
like slower breathing and an
increased heart rate, they help to
steady our body’s reactions and
return it to its normal state.
What are tears made of?
Tears come in three layers: oily
(outer), watery (middle), and
mucus (inner). In order, these
layers make the tear surface
smooth and keep tears from
drying too quickly, clean the
eye and wash away unwanted
particles, and help spread the
watery layer and keep it moist.
Why are tears salty?
Tears are salty for the same
reason that sweat is salty.
Bodily fluids contain a variety
of substances. A major one is
sodium. When our body secretes
either tears or perspiration,
and we taste it, we notice this
concentration of sodium. (Table
salt is 40% sodium and 60%
chloride; tears are said to have
two or three grains of salt per
drop.)
Where do tears go?
Tears exit the eye through two
openings (tiny holes called
puncta), one in each of the inner
corners of the eyelids. They then
flow into a canal that carries them
to the lacrimal sac which is in the
nose. If you have too many tears,
like a spring flood, they jam the
canal system, overflow the banks,
and run down your cheeks.
The tears that do make it into
46 | arta.net