Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow Do Tears Work?SymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentCoping
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How Do Tears Work?
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Coping
When the tears won’t stop flowing, the cause isn’t always emotional. Tears are the fluid that helps maintain the eye. Problems with this system can cause your eyes to water without any apparent reason.
If you have watery eyes—also known as excessive eye watering, orepiphora—the problem is usually either overproduction or underdrainage of tears. Environmental factors, dry eyes, and allergies can also result in watery eyes. More seriously, an infection can be the reason why your eyes won’t stop tearing up.
This article will help you learn more about these and othercauses of watery eyes, as well as how to diagnose and treat this condition if it affects you.
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The lacrimal glands produce tears, a salty fluid that lubricates the eye with each blink. Normally, these glands make about 1.2 microliters of tears every minute, with the eyelids spreading the tear fluid evenly over the surface of the eye with each blink.
The moisture from tears helps prevent damage to thecornea, the outer covering of the eyeball, which can become inflamed or irritated if it’s dry.
The Composition of Tears and Their Role in Eye Health
Up to 20% of the tears the eye makes evaporate. Theorbicularismuscle pumps the remainder into the lacrimal puncta, the pouch-like bulge at the inner corner of the eye.
From the puncta, excess tears flow through the lacrimal ducts to the nasolacrimal duct and out the nasal cavity. This system has a capacity of 8 microliters. That’s why too much tear production or insufficient drainage can result in watery eyes.
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Symptoms of Watery Eyes
The primary sign of epiphora is eyes that water excessively. A number of other symptoms can also occur, including:
What Causes Watery Eyes?
Problems that cause watery eyes fall into three categories:
A host of problems can lead to watery eyes in these categories. Your healthcare provider will need to examine the surface of your eye and its duct system to pinpoint the origin of the issue.
Obstruction
Your tears flow through a system of tubes and ducts that carry excess tears away from your eyes. When any part of this system becomes blocked or plugged, tears can’t drain properly, leading to a buildup and watery eyes. Blockages can occur in the eye itself, in the puncta, or in the lower drainage system.
Blockages in the tear duct can lead to an infection called dacryocystitis.Conditions likesarcoidosis,lymphoma, andconjunctivitis(pink eye) can also cause blockage.Age-related changeslike narrowing of the punctal openings are another possible cause.
Dry Eyes
Dryness, which is irritating to the eyes, can stimulate the eye to produce more tears.Dry eyesare a condition all on their own, called dry eye syndrome orkeratoconjunctivitis sicca.
Tear Chemistry
Glands that make oils along your eyelid can produce too much oil or become blocked, preventing tears from reaching the drainage system and causing excessive eye watering.
Facial Nerve Dysfunction
A number offacial nervebranches run through the eyes and the face. When there is injury or damage to these nerves, as in cases of facial palsy, the pumps and mechanisms that move tears through the duct system can become weak. When the pumps fail to move excessive tears through the drainage system, they can accumulate in the eye and result in watery eyes.
Other Causes
Allergies likehay feverare another common cause of watery eyes.
Additional conditions that your healthcare provider may take into consideration when evaluating you for watery eyes include:
Your healthcare provider should also investigate any medications you might be taking, since they could be contributing factors.
Eye Irritation: Common Causes and Soothing Remedies
How Watery Eyes Are Diagnosed
The first step in diagnosing the cause of watery eyes is collecting a thorough history and conducting aneye exam. Aside from visually examining your eye, your optometrist or ophthalmologist will also want to know about:
Your healthcare provider may perform several tests to determine the cause of your symptoms.
Tear Break-Up Time Test
This test analyzes the quality of the tear film covering the eye. If tears disappear—or “break up”—too quickly, the cornea is left unprotected, which can lead to irritation and other problems. Reduced tear break-up time can be a sign ofdry eye syndrome(keratoconjunctivitis sicca), mucin deficiency, or Meibomian gland disease.
Dye Disappearance Test
For this test, your healthcare provider will drop a body-safe dye into the corner of your eye. Do not wipe it away or touch your eye. After five minutes, the dye should be cleared from the eye. If dye remains, this will indicate a possible blockage somewhere in the drainage system.
Lacrimal Drainage System Irrigation
For this test, a small syringe tip is gently inserted into the punctum at the corner of the eye. The tip will move easily into the punctum if there is no obstruction. While the test is invasive, your healthcare provider will use a topical anesthesia for comfort.
Next, saline or water is pushed through the syringe. The fluid should flow to the nose or throat without disruption. If the fluid doesn’t flow through the drainage system freely, or if the fluid backs up, this is a sign of a blockage or obstruction somewhere. If drainage ormucuscomes out with the fluid, this is an indication that part of the drainage system may be infected.
When to See a Healthcare ProviderYou should call your healthcare provider immediately if you have watery eyes with:Reduced visionPain around your eyesA foreign body sensation
When to See a Healthcare Provider
You should call your healthcare provider immediately if you have watery eyes with:Reduced visionPain around your eyesA foreign body sensation
You should call your healthcare provider immediately if you have watery eyes with:
Treatment of Watery Eyes
Treatment for watery eyesfocuses on resolving the underlying cause.
In severe cases, surgery may be required to clear large obstructions or even rebuild the lacrimal drainage system. This procedure, calleddacryocystorhinostomy, is done under general anesthesia. A surgeon will make an incision near the nose and create a new drainage system. A small tube will be inserted and left in place for several months as the surgical area heals.
In some cases, no cause is ever found, and you could be left with a condition known as functional epiphora. There are treatments that may help, such as Botox injections and surgery. However, the success rate of these treatments varies.
Coping with Watery Eyes
There are a number of steps you can take to help relieve watery eyes. Try these tips:
Summary
Relief for Eye Allergy Symptoms
2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Lacrimal gland.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Punctal plugs.
2 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Lacrimal gland.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Punctal plugs.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Lacrimal gland.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Punctal plugs.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Lacrimal gland.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Punctal plugs.
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