Lacrimal System Flashcards
What does the lacrimal gland provide?
principal aqueous secretory component to the tear film.
How is the lacrimal gland divided?
lateral horn of the levator and extensions of Müller’s muscle into an orbital lobe above and a palpebral lobe below.
What is the lacrimal gland made up of?
many acini that drain into larger tubules (the acini are myoepithelial…need muscle movement to allow contents to be drained)
Where does the lacrimal gland develop?
third month of fetal life but not functional until after birth. some newborns dont have tears until 2 weeks…or could be up to 2 months
What are the accessory lacrimal glands?
secondary provider of the aqueous secretory component to the tear film
glands of Krause and Wolfring
Where is the gland of wolfring located?
tarsal plate of eyelid (palpebral)
What does wolfring gland secrete?
Secretion is serous which forms the middle portion of trilaminar tears
Why are there less accessory glands in the lower eyelid?
there is less tarsal in lower eyelid
Where is the gland of Krause located?
conjunctival fornix
Which accessory gland contributes more?
wolfring
What is the arterial supply of the lacrimal gland?
lacrimal branch of opthalmic artery;
branch of infraorbital artery;
recurrent meningeal artery
Sensory of Lacrimal Gland?
trigeminal nerve 5; cornea also has this…it triggers secretion of lacrimal gland
What does the tear film cover and what are the 3 layers?
Covers cornea and conjunctiva; 3 layers: outer lipid, middle aqueous; inner mucous layer
What is primary source of oxygen to the cornea?
Tear film since the cornea is avasclar
What are other functions of tear film?
lubricant between lid and ocular surface
the movement of tears helps remove foreign bodies, debris, and exfoliated cells
tears contain many antibacterial proteins that protect the cornea and conjunctiva from infection
Origin of Lipid Layer
(sebaceous) meibomian gland; sebaceous gland of zeiss
Origin of aqueous layer
(serous) lacrimal gland; fornix and palpebral accessory glands
origin of mucous layer
goblet cells; epithelial glands; lacrimal gland (little)
Thickness of Tears
Aqueous- 7 microns
Lipid layer- 0.1
Mucous .02-.05
How many meibomian glands are in the lower and upper lids? What is secreted?
Lower= 20-30
Upper= 30-40
Secretion is Sebum
What are meibomian glands?
sebaceous glands that secrete lipids onto tear film
What is holocrine secretion?
when the discharged secretion contains the entire secreting cells laden with the secretory material
How is the secretion of meibomian material released?
blinking allows the material to be released from the ducts onto the tear film
Two possible reasons of meibomian regulation
- Controlling the rate of lipid synthesis in ER
2. Regulating rupture of alveolar cells