Greetings to all and sundry,

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It is a beautiful day today and I want to use this opportunity to wish us all a Happy Valentine's Day. I do hope that we all celebrated in moderation and that we enjoyed ourselves to the fullest. Even as we have fun let's always learn to play it safe because statistics have shown that it is during these times that accidents are at their peak.

![childrens-eyes-1914519_960_720.jpg](https://images.hive.blog/DQmWFxmDs5d4sqtwmjJrd84Lgt4y96NV7Gq1swkMcVT3Mkh/childrens-eyes-1914519_960_720.jpg)
<center><sub>[image source](https://pixabay.com/de/photos/kinderaugen-augen-blaue-augen-1914519/)</sub></center>

But I know that you, my dear reader, are keen on their health and would do what you ought to do to ensure that you, your family, and your neighbors are safe and having a wonderful time. Today I would be talking about a condition I encountered recently with a kid who reported to the clinic with his parents. It was an interesting one and I do hope that you enjoy the read as always.

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##### <center> Introduction </center>

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One of the most important features of our eyes is the tear system otherwise known as the lacrimal system. Tears are underestimated when it comes to the eye because we hardly get issues with it and normally when there's something wrong with our tears we only experience some discomfort whether mild or severe it tends not to be sigsight-threateningd so we just overlook things sometimes.

But our tears are very important and even so are the components that form the tears. The number of tears as well as quality matters and things ought to be within a range always to ensure that things are functioning accordingly with regards to our eyes. And so when tears are coming in excess then there is a problem somewhere, in the same vain when tears are inadequate, then there's a problem elsewhere.

![baby-tears-small-child-sad-47090.jpeg](https://images.hive.blog/DQmZpkqcfx3RyeEgsd9Rta679udyWMkawKz8Ps5eW6YPSUJ/baby-tears-small-child-sad-47090.jpeg)
<center><sub>[image source](https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-crying-baby-47090/)</sub></center>

Tears coming in excess or in smaller quantities could also result in other problems some of which include the eye drying up quicker than it ought to resulting in the condition known as dry eyes, dry eyes could easily lead to corneal ulcer development as well as bacteria invasion of the eye or the cornea and its related anterior structures. Then something that seems not so harmful becomes a deadly situation.

Tears being in excess or less amount could also affect vision, it may alter the refractive index of the cornea to an extent or even make the vision a bit blurry just by being on the eye in excess amount. And so yes, there are very important, and we ought to pay more attention to them. Did you know that your tears have antibacterial properties to protect your eyes from microbes?

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##### <center> Lacrimal Apparatus Dysfunction </center>

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And so this case of the young boy I am talking about, well, the child has reported some facilities before finally coming to my end. The issue or story has always been the same through his numerous visits, the mother says the child just keeps tearing and it's quite disturbing for her as well as the son. They have used lots of eye drops to no avail and the child says it's disturbing his vision.

Well, that's to be expected because tears affect light's refraction into the eye and can distort images sometimes when they stay on the eye in excess. And so after taking in the history and doing some preliminary tests, I realized that the child is suffering from a lacrimal apparatus dysfunction. One common differential that comes with this condition is dry eye.

![sad-214977_960_720.jpg](https://images.hive.blog/DQmawwmvVn4569uQyZqQ3HB6ZJUQZyzg7aypGNPHdZU2b53/sad-214977_960_720.jpg)
<center><sub>[image source](https://pixabay.com/de/photos/traurig-kind-junge-weinen-tr%c3%a4nen-214977/)</sub></center>

Dry eye, because in an attempt for the eye to correct the inadequacy it ends up producing more than necessary. Well, that's exactly what was happening though with this. The tear gland was producing more than necessary but it wasn't because the eye was dry but because the gland was malfunctioning I could use that word for better clarification.

And so in his case, the gland is just producing more of the tears and so we had to do more investigation to find out what exactly could be going on because the condition may be a result of bacterial invasion of the gland or some autoimmune disease. It could result in fewer tears being produced or more than necessary being produced.

Sometimes too it could be a result of wrong innervation or impulses gone wrong with either the lacrimal nerve or other branches that come to the lacrimal gland. And so what I did was refer him to ophthalmology after giving him some initial treatment, he would be seen by the ophthalmologist as well as the neurologist after which the team of health practitioners would come together to find a permanent solution provided the initial treatment doesn't work out.

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##### <center> Conclusion </center>

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Once everything is concluded I would tell you the rest of the story however I believe that from what I shared today you have at least come to understand how important tears are, and even more importantly it is in moderate or the required quantity or amount. 

<center>![IMG_1407.jpg](https://images.hive.blog/DQmV3fK6TMeS4Nj53sadmgsxqPsQXD3oeTGxGAFn8sg8QoJ/IMG_1407.jpg)</center>
<center><sub>image by @nattybongo</sub></center>

As I wrap up I would like to remind you not to take anything about the eye for granted, the little things could make up so much, do well to have regular eyecare examinations, avoid over-the-counter medications, and when in doubt always consult a professional. It was a pleasure serving you today, thanks for your time and for passing through.

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##### <center> Further Reading </center>

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<sub>**Swampillai, A. J., & McMullan, T. F. (2012). Epiphora. British journal of hospital medicine (London, England: 2005), 73(11), C162–C165. https://doi.org/10.12968/hmed.2012.73.sup11.c162.**</sub>

<sub>**Pflugfelder, S. C., & Stern, M. E. (2020). Biological functions of the tear film. Experimental eye research, 197, 108115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exer.2020.108115**</sub>

<sub>**Foulks G. N. (2010). Tear dysfunction from lacrimal gland to LASIK. The ocular surface, 8(3), 99. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1542-0124(12)70220-3.**</sub>

<sub>**Hayashi T. (2011). Dysfunction of lacrimal and salivary glands in Sjögren's syndrome: nonimmunologic injury in proinflammatory phase and mouse model. Journal of biomedicine & biotechnology, 2011, 407031. https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/407031.**</sub>