The phenomenon known as “crying crystals” or “stone tears” describes an extremely rare, reported condition where a person’s tear ducts allegedly produce solid, jagged, or crystalline structures instead of liquid tears. These claims, often amplified by media reports, present a perplexing mystery that challenges the conventional biological understanding of human tear production. The purported objects are described as being painful to expel, often scratching the surface of the eye as they emerge. While tears naturally form microscopic crystalline patterns upon drying, the expulsion of macroscopic, solid crystals remains a highly debated and medically unexplained occurrence.
Documented Accounts and the Specific Case
The most widely reported modern instance involves a young woman from Armenia who claimed to weep dozens of solid, glass-like objects daily. She described the onset as feeling like sand had entered her eye, quickly escalating to the expulsion of approximately fifty jagged pieces per day. Her family initially suspected that shards of glass from her farm work had entered her eyes, but medical professionals who examined her first claimed the objects were “her body’s own crop.”
A similar, high-profile case gained international attention in the 1990s when a young girl from Lebanon was filmed allegedly shedding crystal-like pieces. The objects were described as small, clear, glass-like pieces. In both instances, the public and local medical community were baffled by the claims.
Medical and Scientific Scrutiny
Reports of solid tear expulsion invariably trigger intense medical and scientific investigation, often led by ophthalmologists. Experts note that the human lacrimal apparatus, which produces and drains tears, is not anatomically capable of forming and passing solid, irregularly shaped crystalline masses. Normal tears consist primarily of water, electrolytes, proteins, and mucus, and they lack the necessary concentration of minerals to rapidly crystallize into large, solid structures.
When the alleged crystals from the Armenian case were submitted for laboratory analysis, some reports indicated the objects were composed of “simple glass,” contradicting the initial claims of a biological origin. A professor of ophthalmology noted that the condition is biochemically and anatomically impossible. The scientific community approaches these cases with deep skepticism, requiring direct, unmanipulated observation by a qualified professional to verify the phenomenon.
Potential Explanations for Crystalline Tears
In the absence of verifiable biological evidence, potential explanations for these reports fall into two primary categories: rare medical conditions and non-medical causes. On the medical side, a highly unusual chemical imbalance in the tear film, such as a drastic increase in salt or protein concentration, could theoretically lead to rapid precipitation or solidification. In another reported case, a woman produced soft plaques that hardened into a crystal-like substance upon exposure to air, with doctors speculating on an overproduction of keratin or protein.
The more common explanation for such alleged anomalies is rooted in non-medical or psychological factors, such as factitious disorder, formerly known as Munchausen syndrome. This involves the deliberate creation or feigning of illness to gain attention or sympathy. Skeptical researchers were able to easily replicate the “crying crystals” effect by inserting small, pre-existing foreign bodies, like glass shards, into the lower eyelid. The introduction of foreign objects is often the simplest and most plausible explanation when a biological mechanism is ruled out.