Interesting Vision Info of the Month – Why Crying Produces Tears?

by SonjaHelga on Saturday, June 7th, 2008 | Comments Off

Tearing is an important part of the lubrication system that helps keep eyes moist and healthy. But tears associated with emotional responses and crying, known as psychogenic tears, are much harder to understand. And there is some medicine disagreement in the scientific community about why humans, above all other living creatures, have the need to engage in crying at all.

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Some scientific evidence even indicates that the very composition of tears changes depending on whether tears result from irritation such as wind, or from crying due to an emotion such as sadness.

The simplest scientific explanations tend to link crying and tears to the earliest development of human infants, who use this form of emotional expression so that needs will be met and comfort will be offered.

In their most basic form, tears triggered by emotional responses are a very visible form of communication that aren’t easily overlooked.

Some theories indicate that adult humans use crying and tears for similar though more sophisticated purposes as infants, both to communicate emotion and to ask for comfort.

Types of Tears

Pediatric Clinics of North America and other medical sources say there are four distinct types of tears, including:

Psychogenic Tears: Psychogenic tears result from emotional responses.

Induced Tears: Medications artificially produce these types of tears.

Reflex Tears: Reflex tears are produced from sources such as wind or

other irritants.

Basal Tears: Basal tears are part of natural lubricating processes that

help moisten the eye’s surface.

- Vision.About.Com, 2006

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