Lacrimal gland
paired, almond-shaped exocrine gland, one for each eye, that secretes the aqueous layer of the tear film
The lacrimal glands (American) or lachrymal glands (British) are paired exocrine glands, one for each eye, found in most terrestrial vertebrates and some marine mammals, that secrete the aqueous layer of the tear film. In humans, they are situated in the upper lateral region of each orbit, in the lacrimal fossa of the orbit formed by the frontal bone. Inflammation of the lacrimal glands is called dacryoadenitis. The lacrimal gland produces tears which are secreted by the lacrimal ducts, and flow over the ocular surface, and then into canals that connect to the lacrimal sac. From that sac, the tears drain through the lacrimal duct into the nose. Tears often collect on the tarsal margin, commonly known as the waterline, brimming and overflowing down the lower eyelid in a process known as crying.
Anatomists divide the gland into two sections, a palpebral lobe, or portion, and an orbital lobe or portion. The smaller palpebral lobe lies close to the eye, along the inner surface of the eyelid; if the upper eyelid is everted, the palpebral portion can be seen.
The orbital lobe of the gland, contains fine interlobular ducts that connect the orbital lobe and the palpebral lobe. They unite to form three to five main secretory ducts, joining five to seven ducts in the palpebral portion before the secreted fluid may enter on the surface of the eye.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Lacrimal gland” as paired, almond-shaped exocrine gland, one for each eye, that secretes the aqueous layer of the tear film. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as paired, almond-shaped exocrine gland, one for each eye, that secretes the aqueous layer of the tear film. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q913628. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Lacrimal gland” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.