Nasolacrimal reflex pathway

The "Nasolacrimal reflex pathway" is **not a molecule, receptor, or canonical therapeutic target**, but rather refers to the neural and physiological circuitry that mediates the reflexive production and drainage of tears. This pathway involves sensory input from the cornea and conjunctiva, which triggers increased tear production by the lacrimal gland via parasympathetic innervation[3][5]. Tears are then drained through the lacrimal apparatus—including puncta, canaliculi, lacrimal sac, and nasolacrimal duct—into the nasal cavity[1][7]. The nasolacrimal system as a whole maintains ocular surface health by lubricating and protecting it from desiccation or foreign bodies. Dysfunction in this reflex can contribute to dry eye disease or excessive tearing but does not represent a discrete molecular entity suitable for direct pharmacological targeting[2][4]. **Note:** There is something incorrect with this entry as it does not correspond to an individual molecule, protein, receptor, enzyme, transporter or other standard drug target class. Instead it describes an anatomical/physiological process involving multiple tissues and neural pathways.

Other names

Nasolacrimal reflex pathwayLacrimal reflex pathway (inferred)Reflex tearing pathway (inferred)