Glands that secrete lacrimal fluid (tears) are part of which anatomical structure?

Glands that secrete lacrimal fluid (tears) are part of which anatomical structure?

• A. Lacrimal apparatus
• B. Optic
• C. Ocular
• D. Extraocular

Answer: (A)

Tears are produced by glands that are part of a tear production and drainage system, the lacrimal apparatus. This structure includes the lacrimal gland itself, along with the ducts that carry tears onto the eye and the tear drainage pathway (puncta, canaliculi, lacrimal sac, and nasolacrimal duct). The lacrimal gland sits in the upper outer part of the orbit and secretes the watery component of tears that keeps the eye moist and protected. The other options refer to parts or aspects of the eye that aren’t involved in tear production or drainage (the optic relates to vision, ocular to the eye in general, and extraocular to the muscles moving the eye).

Tears are produced by glands that are part of a tear production and drainage system, the lacrimal apparatus. This structure includes the lacrimal gland itself, along with the ducts that carry tears onto the eye and the tear drainage pathway (puncta, canaliculi, lacrimal sac, and nasolacrimal duct). The lacrimal gland sits in the upper outer part of the orbit and secretes the watery component of tears that keeps the eye moist and protected. The other options refer to parts or aspects of the eye that aren’t involved in tear production or drainage (the optic relates to vision, ocular to the eye in general, and extraocular to the muscles moving the eye).