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The lacrimal gland, as an essential component of the ocular surface system, along with its product, the tears, had not received sufficient attention in the past years.However, increasing evidence suggest that the lacrimal gland plays a critical role in maintaining the normal function of the eyes, and disruption of its function may lead to dry eye.In this review, the author tried to summarize the recent developments in lacrimal gland research and its role in the etiology and development of dry eye, particularly with our own research findings from lacrimal gland ducts.The author believes that more efforts should be directed to the lacrimal gland research, especially the ion transporters/channels in the lacrimal gland duct system, which may be used as targets in developing novel treatments for dry eye.