From the clinical manifestations, the disease pertainsto the "lacrimation troubles" in traditional Chinese medicine. Etiologically and pathogenically, deficiency of liver blood, abnormal thin dacryon and invasion of external pathogenic wind cause the irritated epiphora with cold tears, or the restraining failure of tears due to insufficiency of qi and blood or to deficiency of both liver and kidney gives rise to the constant weeping of cold tears, or the perpetuating trachoma which has the dacryon invaded by pathogenic toxin leads to the stricture or obstruction of the lacrimal passage so that the tears overflow instead of osmosing downwards.

Most cases of cold lacrimation areof deficient syndrome while most of irritated epiphora with cold tears are due to deficiency of eye and invasion of pathogenic factors, and both are of the mild conditions. On the other hand, constant weeping of cold tears mainly due to the visceral deficiency is of severe one. The latter often develops from the former.