LASIK surgery damaging CN V1 is listed as what in relation to secondary lacrimal gland deficiency?

LASIK surgery damaging CN V1 is listed as what in relation to secondary lacrimal gland deficiency?

• A. Secondary lacrimal gland deficiency
• B. Not considered a secondary lacrimal gland deficiency
• C. Primary lacrimal gland deficiency
• D. No lacrimal gland deficiency

Answer: (B)

Damage to CN V1 cuts off the sensory signal needed to trigger reflex tearing. The lacrimal gland itself isn’t diseased or intrinsically unable to secrete tears; its neurons and secretory machinery are intact. So the reduced tear production isn’t because the gland is deficient, but because the neural drive to it is lost. In this framework, that situation is not considered a secondary lacrimal gland deficiency. The problem is neural input to tearing, not a defect of the gland itself.

Damage to CN V1 cuts off the sensory signal needed to trigger reflex tearing. The lacrimal gland itself isn’t diseased or intrinsically unable to secrete tears; its neurons and secretory machinery are intact. So the reduced tear production isn’t because the gland is deficient, but because the neural drive to it is lost. In this framework, that situation is not considered a secondary lacrimal gland deficiency. The problem is neural input to tearing, not a defect of the gland itself.