Every time you blink, a thin layer of tears washes your eyes. The water for those tears comes from tiny cells in a gland above each eye.
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Above the outer corner of each eye, under your eyebrow bone, sits a small lacrimal gland. Lacrimal means "to do with tears."
Inside it, tear maker cells sit in little round pockets. Each cell is filled with tiny packages of tear stuff, waiting to be sent out.
These cells make tear water all day, not just when you cry. Small tubes carry it onto the front of your eye.
Next time you cry or your eyes water, notice if your nose gets runny. Tears drain from your eyes into your nose! You can also press Make tears on the 3D model.
When something gets in your eye or you cut an onion, these cells make extra tears to wash it out.