Lacrimal gland

Encyclopedia : L : LA : LAC : Lacrimal gland

Lacrimal apparatus of the right eye. The lacrimal gland is to the upper right. The right side of the picture is towards the nose.

The lacrimal glands are paired glands, one for each eye, that secrete lacrimal fluid. Each gland is about the size of an almond (2 cm) and sits alongside the eyeball within the orbit, nestled in the lacrimal fossa of the frontal bone.

The glands produce lacrimal fluid when stimulated by parasympathetic fibers of the facial nerve via the pterygopalatine ganglion. The lacrimal fluid flows through 6 to 12 small excretory ducts which exit in the space between the eye and the upper eyelid. The lacrimal gland receives its blood supply from the lacrimal artery, a branch of the ophthalmic artery.

See also

• Lacrimal apparatus

Disorders

• Dacryoadenitis
• Sjögren's Syndrome

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