Would you like to switch to the accessible version of this site?

Go to accessible site Close modal window

Don't need the accessible version of this site?

Hide the accessibility button Close modal window
Accessibility View Close toolbar
Great Plains Vision Center

(580) 256-6699

Open mobile navigation
  • Home
  • New Patient Center
    • Online Forms
  • Eyecare Services
    • Eye & Vision Exams
    • Contact Lens Exams
    • Post Op Lasik Management
    • Hard to Fit Contacts
    • Vision Therapy FAQs
    • Computer Vision
    • Sports Vision
    • Sunglasses
  • Frame Selection
  • Payment Options
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Community Content
    • Common Eye Conditions
      • Age-Related
      • Cognitive and Acquired
      • Vision Impairment
      • Injury & Irritation
      • Eye Lids
      • Changes in Appearance
    • Contact Lenses
    • Eye Diseases
    • Eyeglasses
      • Eyeglass Lenses
    • Eye Symptoms
    • How the Eyes Work
      • Basic Visual Skills
    • Pediatric Vision
    • Protecting Your Eyes
    • Visual Rehabilitation
    • Vision Problems
    • What is Vision Therapy
    • Vision Therapy Programs
    • We Can Help With
      • Cataracts
      • Corneal Disorders
        • Disorders
      • Glaucoma
      • Refractive Disorders
      • Adult Strabismus
      • Retinal Disorders
    • Newsletters
      • Glasses & Frames
      • Contacts
      • Tips for Healthy Eyes
      • Conditions That Affect Vision
      • Kid's Vision
      • Amazing, Interesting Eyes
      • Medical Perspectives
  • Home >
  • Articles >
  • Newsletters >
  • How Your Tears Work and Their Importance for Vision

How Your Tears Work and Their Importance for Vision

  • Created in Newsletters

Woman with tear falling from her eyes

How Your Tears Protect and Enhance Your Vision

Tears not only help you express emotions but also keep your eyes healthy. The constant moisture provided by tears is essential for eye comfort and clear vision.

What Do Tears Do?

Tears are produced by the lacrimal gland, a small gland located above each eyelid. Every time you blink, a film of tears coats your eyes. Some tears evaporate while others eventually exit through tiny drainage channels in the inside corners of your eyes that are connected to your nose.

Tears have several functions. They're needed to:

  • Moisturize the Eyes. Every time you blink, a layer of tears covers your eyes, keeping them moist and comfortable. These tears, called basal tears, also have an anti-bacterial effect and can help you avoid eye infections.
  • Remove Debris. Reflex tears wash away dust and debris that can fall into your eyes. When your eyes sense the presence of a foreign body, tear production ramps up in an attempt to flush out the object. Reflex tears also appear in your eyes when you cough or yawn.
  • Provide Clear Vision. Washing away dust and debris removes obstructions that could cloud your vision or scratch your eye. They also play a role in light focusing, an essential component of clear vision.
  • Help You Show Emotion. Tears start to flow whether you're happy, sad, or in pain. Crying sheds hormones that make you feel stressed, while also triggering the production of endorphins, hormones that improve your mood.

The Three Layers of Tears

The watery liquid produced by the lacrimal glands mixes with oils and mucus to create three-layered tears. Every tear you produce contains these layers:

  • Mucin. Located closest to your eye, the inner mucin layer of the tear contains mucus, which helps tears adhere to the surface of the eyes.
  • Aqueous. The middle aqueous layer contains much of the water in a tear.
  • Lipid. The outer lipid layer is made up of oils that prevent tears from evaporating too soon. Oils also keep the surface of the tears smooth and transparent, which is essential for good vision.

How Lack of Tears Can Affect Your Vision

Lack of moisture causes a condition called dry eye. You may develop dry eye if you don't produce enough tears or your tears drain or evaporate too quickly.

Symptoms of dry eye include:

  • Blurred Vision
  • Double Vision
  • Sensitivity to Light
  • Itching
  • Burning
  • Aching
  • Redness
  • Foreign Body Sensation

If dry eye is severe, temporary or permanent damage to your cornea can occur. The cornea is the layer of tissue covering your iris and pupil. If the cornea becomes scarred, you'll have trouble seeing clearly.

Factors that can cause or worsen dry eye include:

  • Using Digital Devices. People tend to blink less when using smartphones, laptops, and other digital devices.
  • The Weather. Your eyes may feel drier on windy, dusty, or sunny days.
  • Your Age. Dry eye is more common in people over 50, according to All About Vision.
  • Low Indoor Humidity. Any system or device that decreases humidity, whether it's a furnace, fan, or air-conditioner, can dry your eyes.
  • Diseases. People who have Sjogren's syndrome, diabetes, lupus, thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other diseases may be more likely to develop dry eye.
  • Other Factors. Your risk of dry eye may increase if you wear contact lens, fly often, take certain medications, are a post-menopausal woman, or don't close your eyes completely while you sleep.

Preventing and Treating Dry Eye

Blinking more often, taking frequent breaks while using digital devices, and wearing wraparound sunglasses can help you keep your eyes moist. Using a humidifier, particularly while you sleep, may also reduce dry eye.

Replacing lost moisture is a simple way to ease dry eye symptoms. Drugstore shelves are full of over-the-counter eye drops and artificial tears that increase moisture and reduce blurred vision, discomfort, and double vision.

If your eyes don't feel better after using over-the-counter drops, you may benefit from prescription eye drops that boost tear production. Treatments that unclog blocked oil glands might be helpful if your tears evaporate too quickly due to insufficient oil content. Punctal plugs offer another option for severe dry eye. Temporary or permanent plugs are added to drainage channels in your eyes and prevent tears from draining.

Have you been struggling with dry eye? We can help ease your discomfort and keep your vision clear. Contact our office to schedule your appointment.

Sources:

National Eye Institute: How Tears Work, 7/16/19

American Academy of Ophthalmology: Facts About Tears, 12/21/16

All About Vision: Dry eye syndrome: Symptoms and causes, 6/19

Duke Health: Immune Response Likely Culprit in Eyelid Gland Condition That Causes Dry Eye, 7/25/18

  • Common Eye Conditions
    • Age-Related
    • Cognitive and Acquired
    • Vision Impairment
    • Injury & Irritation
    • Eye Lids
    • Changes in Appearance
  • Contact Lenses
  • Eye Diseases
  • Eyeglasses
    • Eyeglass Lenses
  • Eye Symptoms
  • How the Eyes Work
    • Basic Visual Skills
  • Pediatric Vision
  • Protecting Your Eyes
  • Visual Rehabilitation
  • Vision Problems
  • What is Vision Therapy
  • Vision Therapy Programs
  • We Can Help With
    • Cataracts
    • Corneal Disorders
      • Disorders
    • Glaucoma
    • Refractive Disorders
    • Adult Strabismus
    • Retinal Disorders
  • Newsletters
    • Glasses & Frames
    • Contacts
    • Tips for Healthy Eyes
    • Conditions That Affect Vision
    • Kid's Vision
    • Amazing, Interesting Eyes
    • Medical Perspectives

Patients receive 30% off a complete 2nd pair of glasses.

Featured Links

Click to find out more

  • Services

    We strive to provide complete care for our patients. Learn more about all the services we provide.
  • Make An Appointment

    We will do our best to accommodate your busy schedule. Schedule an appointment today!
  • Online Forms

    Our patient forms are available online so they can be completed in the convenience of your own home or office.

Hours of Operation

Our Regular Schedule

Great Plains Vision Center

Monday:

7:00am - 5:00pm

Tuesday:

7:00am - 5:00pm

Wednesday:

7:00am - 5:00pm

Thursday:

7:00am - 11:30pm, 1:00pm - 5:00pm

Friday:

Closed

Saturday:

Closed

Sunday:

Closed

Location

Find us on the map

Testimonial

Reviews From Our Satisfied Patients

This practice offers superb service, knowledgeable staff, and the best lens technology available in the optical industry! 5 Star practice all the way around!

Angie M. / Woodward, OK

Featured Articles

Read up on informative topics

    Stress and Vision

    Did you know that your eyes are an extension of your brain? There are six muscles connected to each eye, and they receive signals from the brain. These signals direct the eyes movements and, thus, control their ability to focus. When you are stressed, your brain goes through a number of changes and signals ...

    Read More

    Pain Management

    We take a lot of aspects of our vision for granted. We expect to see nearby and faraway objects clearly, even if we require our eye care provider to prescribe eyeglasses or contact lenses to do so. A huge degree of the information we take in about our world and our surroundings takes place visually, ...

    Read More

    Nutrition for Eye Health

    Eating right is essential for keeping your body healthy. This is as true for your eyes as it is for your heart. A diet that is rich in fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and is low in saturated fat, can reduce your risk of heart disease. This will also keep your arteries healthy, so they can ...

    Read More

    Lifestyle Practices for Eye Health

    Protecting your eyesight is an important part of staying healthy overall. Maintaining sound eye health will also help you preserve your quality of life as you age. To keep your eyes as healthy as possible, follow these simple lifestyle practices. Get regular eye exams. Some eye problems — including ...

    Read More

    Glare and Halos

    Glare and halos are both eye symptoms that some people experience around bright lights. Halos show up as bright circles around a light source. Glare is light that interferes with your vision, making it difficult to see or sometimes making your eyes water. These symptoms can show up at any time of the ...

    Read More

    UV Radiation and Your Eyes

    Optometry warnings about the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation on our eyes have not yet reached the degree of public awareness of that of skin damage. Yet, the sun can be just as damaging upon our eyes with unprotected exposure. Short-term exposure to very bright sunlight can result in a type ...

    Read More

    Lazy Eye

    Lazy eye, also referred to as amblyopia, is a condition that develops in infancy or early childhood, and it typically starts when the focus in one eye is more enhanced than the other. The eye with less focus might be impaired due to a significant amount of farsightedness or astigmatism, or something ...

    Read More

    Pediatric Ophthalmology

    Ophthalmology addresses the physiology, anatomy and diseases of the eyes. Pediatric ophthalmology focuses on the eyes of children. Pediatric ophthalmologists examine children’s eyes to see if they need corrective lenses or other treatments to improve their vision. Training for Pediatric Ophthalmologists Pediatric ...

    Read More

    September Newsletter: Can Contact Lenses Protect Your Eyes from UV Rays?

    Could your contact lenses help you avoid eye disease? ...

    Read More

    September Newsletter: How Your Environment Affects Your Eyewear Choice

    Are you wearing the best eyewear for changing environments? ...

    Read More

Newsletter Sign Up

Social Media

  • Copyright © 2023 MH Sub I, LLC dba iMatrix.
  • Admin Log In
  • Site Map