Lacrimal lake

The lacrimal lake is the pool of tears in the lower conjunctival cul-de-sac, which drains into the opening of the tear drainage system (the puncta lacrimalia). The volume of the lacrimal lake has been estimated to be between 7 and 10 µL.

Although the lacrimal lake usually contains 7-10 µL of tears, the maximum fluid it can usually hold is 25-30 µL before tearing occurs. Aging usually causes the eyelids to become more loose which in turn enables the lacrimal lake to hold even more fluid.