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The Benefits of Crying

Tears can help protect the ocular surface and assist the body in releasing stress, but it depends on the type of tear. CU optometrist Shawna Vanderhoof, OD, dives into tear types and why they’re important.

4 minute read

by Kara Mason | December 9, 2024
A close-up image of a man squinting from emotion. A tear rolls down his cheek.

There are several reasons why your eyes may be filling with tears: being overwhelmed with joy, missing a loved one, cutting into an onion, and even ocular dryness.  

Tears are what keep the eyes lubricated and protect the cornea, explains optometrist Shawna Vanderhoof, OD, instructor of ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. But not all tears are the same or have the same contents.  

“There are three types of tears, and each serve a different function and purpose for the eye and body,” she says.  

Basal tears are present all the time and work to lubricate the cornea and wash away dirt and germs from the surface of the eye. Reflexive tears are produced when the eye is exposed to an outside irritant, like pollen or the chemical reaction that results from cutting into an onion.  

The third kind of tears are emotional and produced when a person feels a strong emotion. In addition to other ingredients, these tears contain extra proteins and hormones, especially those associated with stress. This is why you may feel a sense of relief after crying.  

Vanderhoof explains what makes these tears different from each other and how their mechanisms are important for eye health.  

Q&A Header

We know there are different types of tears. What is their makeup and how do they differ?

Our eyes need to stay lubricated, so we’re blinking around 15 times per minute – less if we’re staring at a screen. This is what washes over the eye and what’s in the tears is particularly helpful. Basal tears, the tears that are constantly keeping the eye moist, have a lot of antimicrobial proteins and nerve growth factor that help with repair.  

Reflexive tears are often created in response to something external, so you’ll produce more of these tears, and they may contain more antibodies to protect the eye, but they’re not of the same quality as basal tears and don’t actually help keep the eye as lubricated. 

Emotional tearing is where we’ll see more hormones, like cortisol, show up. When we cry, there’s a release of endorphins in the body from releasing those hormones, so emotional crying can be helpful, but not necessarily in making the eyes feel less dry.  

If a person finds that they’re tearing up often, but not crying from emotion, what might be causing that?

If your eyes are dry, you may not be getting enough of the basal tear layer, so the eyes will activate those reflexive tears quickly to get some moisture over the eye. But it's not the good quality tearing that stays on the eye – these tears evaporate more quickly.  

So, it can actually be dry eye that causes some of this excessive tearing. If a patient comes in and reports tearing as a main complaint, I’ll look for additional signs of dry eye.

Are there other conditions that may affect tearing?

 Autoimmune conditions may certainly affect the eyes and dryness as a result. Some medications may as well. Commonly, allergy medications contribute to dry eye because the goal is to dry up mucous membranes.   

If you’re experiencing this reflexive tearing often or in response to a medication you’re taking, it can be beneficial to discuss your symptoms with your eye doctor and see if there may be a solution to help keep your eyes lubricated and protected. 

The eyes often tell us so much about the rest of the body’s health. Are tears another example of that?

There’s so much about the eye that gives us insight into the rest of the body. With crying, there’s the connection with the parasympathetic response, which has a soothing effect on the body by releasing cortisol (stress hormone) and endorphins (feel good hormones). This counteracts the sympathetic response (fight or flight) that can come with emotional stress. 

So, crying can actually be pretty healthy and helpful?

Yes! Not only do we carry a lot of stress, but we are bombarded with stressors and crying helps us release some of that. 

Without this emotional response, stress can build up and cause its own problems and manifest in many ways throughout the body, even in the eyes.  

We need tears to help us stay healthy.  

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Shawna Vanderhoof, OD