Tears are a natural reaction and it’s hard to stop them from falling. But why do we cry and what are the different occasions that cause them?

Tears from pain

One of the most common occasions for tears to flow is pain. Fall, stuck finger, stomach ache… There is no age for crying in pain even if it happens less often in adulthood than when we are children.

Difficult to contain – even if it remains possible – tears are the manifestation of pain and start to flow automatically. Nothing surprising if we say of them that they are the silent language of pain.

Reflex tears

If you’ve ever cut an onion, you’ve most likely experienced reflex tears. These are made by the eye when it has to deal with irritation. In this case, it is the gas released by the onion, when it is cut, which will irritate the eyes and cause the tears to flow.

Another scenario: a foreign body. When you receive, for example, a dust in your eye, it will start to cry. A reflex that allows to release, in a completely natural way, the foreign body.

Basal tears

Produced by the lacrimal glands, tears are used to permanently moisten the cornea of ​​the eye and thus ensure its protection. It is therefore quite normal and natural for the eye to start crying when it is in an environment that is too dry (room with air conditioning on for example).

In other cases, tears are a manifestation of an eye problem: conjunctivitis, lacrimal airway obstruction, keratitis, ectropion, entropion, etc.. Therefore, if tears are too frequent or persist, make an appointment with an ophthalmologist to prescribe the correct treatment.

Tears of emotion

Great sadness or on the contrary, immense joy, giggles, anger, these are the emotions that can make you cry. the role of tears here is purely catharsistic.

Did you know ? Tears have a different structure depending on the emotion felt. They have, however, the same composition: salt and water.

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