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The aqueous layer of the tear film is produced by the lacrimal glands (in the upper eyelids). This is the middle layer, between the mucin and the lipid layers. A deficiency of aqueous tears is one of the conditions that can cause dry eye syndrome.
Aqueous tear production can be measured with tests such as the Schirmer lacrimation test.
Laser eye surgery affects aqueous tear production by severing and/or vaporising nerves in the cornea which normally stimulate production of tears. If the nerves are cut or ablated, tear production cannot be stimulated and aqueous tears decrease, leaving the cornea vulnerable.
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