Skip to content
EasyAnatomyLab
Menu

Lacrimal canaliculus: anatomy, location and function

The lacrimal canaliculi are small ducts that drain tears from the eyelid margins to the lacrimal sac. They collect tears and carry them to the nasolacrimal drainage system.

Loading 3D model…
Skin0%
Muscles100%

Structures

Loading… Click the model or search.

Highlighted in the model: Lacrimal canaliculus. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Lacrimal canaliculus at a glance

What it is
The lacrimal canaliculi are small ducts that drain tears from the eyelid margins to the lacrimal sac.
Location
They run from the lacrimal puncta on the medial eyelid margins into the lacrimal sac.
Function
They collect tears and carry them to the nasolacrimal drainage system.
Body system
Eye & ear · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA59583 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Superior and inferior canaliculi.
  • About 10 mm long.

Clinical relevance

Blockage causes watering of the eye (epiphora).

Structures next to the lacrimal canaliculus

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Lacrimal canaliculus (FMA59583). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §14.1 Sensory Perception. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.