Where the lacrimal bone sits in the skeleton
The lacrimal bone is one of a pair of small bones in the inner wall of each eye socket, the smallest facial bones. They form part of the passage that drains tears into the nose. Its front part holds a hollow for the lacrimal sac, and with the maxilla it forms the canal through which the nasolacrimal duct runs.
Frequently asked questions
Which part of the skeleton is the lacrimal bone in?
The lacrimal bone is one of the bones of the skull and hyoid. This group covers the bones that enclose the brain, the bones that frame the face, and the hyoid at the front of the neck.
How many bones are in the skull?
The skull has 22 bones: eight cranial bones that enclose the brain and fourteen facial bones that frame the face. The hyoid in the front of the neck is a separate bone that forms no joint with any other bone.
Is there one lacrimal bone or a pair?
The lacrimal bone is paired: there is one on the left and one on the right, and this page covers both.
Where do tears drain?
Tears collect in the lacrimal sac at the inner corner of the eye and run down the nasolacrimal duct into the nose, opening below the inferior nasal concha. The lacrimal bone and maxilla form the bony wall of this passage.
Other bones of the skull and hyoid
- Frontal bone
- Parietal bone
- Temporal bone
- Occipital bone
- Sphenoid bone
- Ethmoid
- Zygomatic bone
- Maxilla
- Mandible
- Nasal bone
- Palatine bone
- Vomer
- Inferior nasal concha
- Hyoid bone
Bone counts
By region
Read more
Related reading
- Sarcopenia: what to measure, and what to do, when muscle and strength decline
- What getting up from a chair says about how your body is ageing
- Why ageing bone marrow turns to fat, and a PEMF study in mice
- PEMF and whole-body vibration: two rhythms that reach the body
- Myokines: the signals working muscle sends to the body
- Ageing parents: the changes families notice first
Once the 3D model loads you can turn it and select each part.