Did you know your body makes more than one type of tear?

Did you know that your body makes more than one type of tear?

It’s true! We tend to think of tears as being a single type of liquid, like blood or urine. But in fact, the body produces several distinct kinds of tears that depend on our body’s physical or emotional response to situations and stimuli, according to an article on the website of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

For instance, what we consider “normal” tears — the kind that lubricates, nourishes and protects your cornea — are known as basal tears.

Reflex tears are formed when your needs need to wash away harmful irritants. Emotional tears are produced when you are happy or sad, or some other emotional state, and actually contain hormones and proteins not present in other types of tears.

You may also not have known that tears have different layers. Or that the average human produces 15 to 30 gallons of tears every year!

Click here to read the entire article.