Lacrimal apparatus

As lacrimal apparatus ( lacrimal Latin Apparatus ) are collectively called the anatomical structures that are responsible for tear production on the one hand and the other hand to the transfer and removal. He is an appendix organ of the eye and consists of the following:

• The lacrimal glands that produce the tears and their excretory ducts that direct the tear fluid to the eye surface.
• The punctum ( puncta lacrimal ), the canaliculi ( canalicular lacrimal ) and the lacrimal sac ( lacrimal sac ) and the nasolacrimal passage ( nasolacrimal duct ), which forward the tear fluid to the nasal cavity and represent the lacrimal drainage system in its entirety.

Diseases of the producing portion of the lacrimal system affect the amount and composition of tear fluid, which can lead to wetting problems and damage to the ocular surface (eg keratoconjunctivitis sicca). Diseases of the lacrimal disorders often lead to the derivation of the tear fluid. The result is a tearful eye ( epiphora ).