Lacrimal gland

The lacrimal gland is lodged in the lacrimal fossa, on the medial side of the zygomatic process of the frontal bone.

It is of an oval form, about the size and shape of an almond, and consists of two portions:

• The orbital part (superior lacrimal gland) is connected to the periosteum of the orbit by a few fibrous bands, and rests upon the tendons of the Recti superioris and lateralis, which separate it from the bulb of the eye.
• The palpebral part (inferior lacrimal gland) is separated from the superior by a fibrous septum, and projects into the back part of the upper eyelid, where its deep surface is related to the conjunctiva.

The ducts of the glands, from six to twelve in number, run obliquely beneath the conjunctiva for a short distance, and open along the upper and lateral half of the superior conjunctival fornix.

In structure and general appearance the lacrimal resembles the serous salivary glands. In the recent state the cells are so crowded with granules that their limits can hardly be defined. They contain oval nuclei, and the cell protoplasm is finely fibrillated.