Why do tears come out
while weeping?
You must have noticed that whenever somebody weeps, tears
begin to fall from his eyes. When someone is very happy even then tears come to
his eyes. Do you know why it happens?
Falling of tears is a reflex action
When we blink our eyes, many muscles come into play and
the eyelids close and open just like stage curtains. The movement of the
eyelids is so fast that it does not disturb our vision. The blinking of the
eyes is an involuntary action that takes place every six seconds throughout our
life.
In each eye, there is a tear gland located at the outer
corner. There are small tubes or ducts, which carry the tear to the upper
eyelids, and from there they fall out of the eyes through other ducts.
Every time we blink our eyes, some fluid comes out
through the openings of the tear ducts. This keeps the eyes lubricated and
prevents them from drying. When we weep, more fluid comes out through openings
of the ducts in the form of tears. It is a reflex action that occurs without
our control.
Some times tears come out even when we laugh a great
deal. That is because, when we laugh, the muscles squeeze the tear glands, due
to which tears begin to flow out.
Tears also come to our eyes when we cut onions because
the onion gives off and irritating volatile substance. When it reaches our
eyes, tears are produced to protect the eye from irritation. The tears wash the
irritating substance away. The same thing happens in the case of smoke.
Some sad news also produces tears by reflex action. This
happens only when we do not have words to express our feelings.