Development of Tearing in Preterm and Term Neonates

Abstract
AFTER YEARS of disagreement, studies by Apt and Cullen1 and others established that full-term newborns produce tears normally and that preterm infants also have the function to secrete tears. Studies have not been conducted, however, to differentiate between basal and reflex tear secretion. This differentiation may help in the early diagnosis of tear deficiency diseases such as familial dysautonomia or congenital absence of the lacrimal gland.

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