Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhy Goopy Eyes HappenKeratitisTrachomaAllergiesBlocked Tear DuctsStyeEye CellulitisForeign ObjectsDry Eye DiseasePreventionWhen to See a ProviderFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Why Goopy Eyes Happen
Keratitis
Trachoma
Allergies
Blocked Tear Ducts
Stye
Eye Cellulitis
Foreign Objects
Dry Eye Disease
Prevention
When to See a Provider
Frequently Asked Questions
This article covers some of the most common causes of eye discharge and what they look like. It also discusses other related symptoms, as well as the common ways to treat these conditions.
Charles Thatcher / Getty Images
Causes of Eye Goop
Eye mucus is normal and needed for eye health. It’s made in the clear tissue that protects the eyeball and eyelids (eyeconjunctiva) along with oil from themeibomianglands along the eyelash edge.
What Causes Goopy Eyes in Babies and Kids?
Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitiscauses goopy eyes that are very red or bloodshot (why it’s also called “pink” eye). Conjunctivitis can cause other symptoms, like eye burning and itching.
While many cases of pink eye are mild and go away on their own, some need medical care. At-home treatment for pink eye usually includes a warm compress to reduce redness and swelling.
Even if the symptoms are mild, pink eye is very contagious.Avoid touching your eyes and practice frequent hand washing to avoid spreading the infection to others.
AMphotography / Getty Images
What Does Eye Goop Color Mean?Clear or light-yellow eye goop is usually normal. Green or dark yellow eye discharge can be a sign of an infection or another eye problem.
What Does Eye Goop Color Mean?
Clear or light-yellow eye goop is usually normal. Green or dark yellow eye discharge can be a sign of an infection or another eye problem.
If your symptoms do not clear up in a few days, you will need to see a provider for treatment. They can figure out the underlying cause of conjunctivitis and recommend the right treatment, such as medicated eye drops, to clear up the infection.
Keratitishappens when the clear covering of the iris and pupil (cornea) gets swollen and inflamed. It can make the eye red and sore and may affect vision.
You can get keratitis from a non-infectious cause, like wearing your contacts too long, or from an infection with bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites.
Depending on the cause, you may need medication (like antibiotic drops) to treat keratitis.
Whenchlamydia, a sexually transmitted infection (STI) gets into the eye, it’s sometimes calledtrachoma.
Eye allergies (allergic conjunctivitis) can cause a clear or white eye discharge.
Other common symptoms of eye allergies include:
Treatment with over-the-counter (OTC) antihistamines, nasal sprays, eye drops, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) will often clear up eye allergy symptoms. In some cases, prescription eyedrops and a corticosteroid are needed to manage symptoms.
Relief for Eye Allergy Symptoms
Infants can also have closed or undeveloped corners of the eyes that keep tears from draining. This typically gets better as they grow and the ducts open up.
For example, a condition calleddacryocystitisis an infection of the eye drainage system which can cause redness and swelling around the eyes or nose. In extreme cases, it also causes fever and pain. Sometimes, adacryocystorhinostomyis needed to unblock the tear duct drainage system.
Generally, treatment for the infection depends on the cause. For example, antibiotics can be used for an infection, or a dilation procedure can be done to open up a blocked tear duct.
A blocked tear duct may cause drainage in only one eye or both eyes. A tear duct can be fully or only partially blocked. The drainage can get worse if you have asinus infectionor arecongested.
Blocked Tear Duct Diagnosis and Treatment
Astyeis an inflamed gland on the edge of your eyelid that comes from an infected eyelash follicle. It’s a fairly common condition that usually causes a bump on the edge of your eyelid, which can be tender and sore.
Does Entropion Cause Goopy Eye Symptoms?Entropioncauses your lower eyelid to turn in. Entropion can cause excessive tear production, redness, and irritation from the lid rubbing on the eye. The condition is typically age-related and surgery can correct the eyelid and improve symptoms.
Does Entropion Cause Goopy Eye Symptoms?
Entropioncauses your lower eyelid to turn in. Entropion can cause excessive tear production, redness, and irritation from the lid rubbing on the eye. The condition is typically age-related and surgery can correct the eyelid and improve symptoms.
How to Get Rid of a Stye
Eye cellulitis, also calledorbital cellulitis, is a more severe infection of the tissues around the eye.
In some cases, a stye may turn into cellulitis, but it also can also be related to bacterial infections likeStaphylococcus aureusandStreptococcus pneumoniae.
These infections are a more serious cause of eye discharge that can lead to permanent damage.
The treatment will depend on the cause, including cases where trauma to the eye leads to cellulitis and its symptoms which can include:
Many people with eye cellulitis are treated in the hospital, with intravenous (IV) antibiotics and surgery.
Cellulitis and Eye CancerCancers of the eye are sometimes confused for cellulitis. One study found nearly half of people with necroticuveal melanomaalso had cellulitis and symptoms like pain, vision loss, and other symptoms.Sebaceous cell carcinoma comes from meibomian glands and can also look like cellulitis.
Cellulitis and Eye Cancer
Cancers of the eye are sometimes confused for cellulitis. One study found nearly half of people with necroticuveal melanomaalso had cellulitis and symptoms like pain, vision loss, and other symptoms.Sebaceous cell carcinoma comes from meibomian glands and can also look like cellulitis.
Dry eye disease (keratoconjunctivitis sicca) occurs when the body does not make enough tears. Normal aging, exposure to sun and wind, and some medications and underlying conditions (like lupus) can all contribute to dry eye disease.
Other symptoms of dry eye syndrome include:
Artificial tears and prescription medications are used to treat dry eye disease.
Lifestyle changes are also important, including drinking enough water, wearing sunglasses outdoors, and avoiding smoke and other environmental irritants.
Dry Eye Syndrome Overview and More
How to Prevent Goopy Eyes
You can’t always prevent eye goop from forming, and you do want a normal amount of mucus in your eyes to keep them healthy. If you have certain conditions that are causing too much eye goop, seeing a provider to get diagnosed and start treatment will help.
There are also some basic steps you can take to prevent goopy eyes, including:
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Many causes of goopy eye discharge can be treated at home and will get better on their own in a few days.
However, see a provider immediately if you have severe eye pain or redness, vision changes or blindness, a traumatic injury to the eye that causes symptoms, or symptoms that are not getting better or are getting worse.
Summary
Small amounts of eye discharge are normal and mean your eyes are healthy. Most people have clear, white, or yellowish mucus in the corner of their eyes when they wake up.
If the eye mucus changes color or texture or is excessive, it can be a sign of a serious infection or eye condition. You should see a provider to get diagnosed and find the best treatment.
15 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.What is sleep crust?Watson S, Cabrera-aguas M, Khoo P.Common eye infections.Aust Prescr.2018;41(3):67-72. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2018.016Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pink eye.Austin A, Lietman T, Rose-Nussbaumer J.Update on the management of infectious keratitis.Ophthalmology. 2017;124(11):1678-1689. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2017.05.012Last A, Burr S, Alexander N, et al.Spatial clustering of high load ocularChlamydia trachomatisinfection in trachoma: a cross-sectional population-based study.Pathog Dis.2017;75(5):ftx050. doi:10.1093/femspd/ftx050Carr W, Schaeffer J, Donnenfeld E.Treating allergic conjunctivitis: A once-daily medication that provides 24-hour symptom relief.Allergy Rhinol(Providence). 2016;7(2):107-14. doi:10.2500/ar.2016.7.0158Petris C, Liu D.Probing for congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction.Cochrane Database Syst Rev.2017;7:CD011109. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD011109.pub2American Academy of Ophthalmology.Blocked tear duct treatment.University of Michigan Health.Entropion.MedlinePlus.Orbital cellulitis.Tsirouki T, Dastiridou AI, Flores NI, et al.Orbital cellulitis.Survey of Ophthalmology. 2018;63(4):534-553. doi:10.1016/j.survophthal.2017.12.001Abdel-Aty A, Linderman WL, Kombo N, Sinard J, Pointdujour-Lim R.Necrotic uveal melanoma mimics orbital cellulitis: a review.Ocul Oncol Pathol. 2022 Feb;8(1):1-8. doi:10.1159/000515558.Ramachandran V, Tumyan G, Loya A, Treat K, Vrcek I.Sebaceous carcinoma masquerading as orbital cellulitis.Cureus. 2022 Feb 16;14(2):e22288. doi:10.7759/cureus.22288.Zhu W, Tian J, Lu X, et al.Incidence and risk factors of postoperative endophthalmitis after primary surgical repair combined with intraocular foreign body removal.Retina. 2022;42(6):1144-1150. doi:10.1097/IAE.0000000000003440Zeev MS, Miller DD, Latkany R.Diagnosis of dry eye disease and emerging technologies.Clin Ophthalmol.2014;8:581-90. doi:10.2147/OPTH.S45444Additional ReadingAll About Vision.Eye discharge: What causes “sleep” in your eyes?American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.Eye allergy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How to treat pink eye.
15 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.What is sleep crust?Watson S, Cabrera-aguas M, Khoo P.Common eye infections.Aust Prescr.2018;41(3):67-72. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2018.016Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pink eye.Austin A, Lietman T, Rose-Nussbaumer J.Update on the management of infectious keratitis.Ophthalmology. 2017;124(11):1678-1689. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2017.05.012Last A, Burr S, Alexander N, et al.Spatial clustering of high load ocularChlamydia trachomatisinfection in trachoma: a cross-sectional population-based study.Pathog Dis.2017;75(5):ftx050. doi:10.1093/femspd/ftx050Carr W, Schaeffer J, Donnenfeld E.Treating allergic conjunctivitis: A once-daily medication that provides 24-hour symptom relief.Allergy Rhinol(Providence). 2016;7(2):107-14. doi:10.2500/ar.2016.7.0158Petris C, Liu D.Probing for congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction.Cochrane Database Syst Rev.2017;7:CD011109. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD011109.pub2American Academy of Ophthalmology.Blocked tear duct treatment.University of Michigan Health.Entropion.MedlinePlus.Orbital cellulitis.Tsirouki T, Dastiridou AI, Flores NI, et al.Orbital cellulitis.Survey of Ophthalmology. 2018;63(4):534-553. doi:10.1016/j.survophthal.2017.12.001Abdel-Aty A, Linderman WL, Kombo N, Sinard J, Pointdujour-Lim R.Necrotic uveal melanoma mimics orbital cellulitis: a review.Ocul Oncol Pathol. 2022 Feb;8(1):1-8. doi:10.1159/000515558.Ramachandran V, Tumyan G, Loya A, Treat K, Vrcek I.Sebaceous carcinoma masquerading as orbital cellulitis.Cureus. 2022 Feb 16;14(2):e22288. doi:10.7759/cureus.22288.Zhu W, Tian J, Lu X, et al.Incidence and risk factors of postoperative endophthalmitis after primary surgical repair combined with intraocular foreign body removal.Retina. 2022;42(6):1144-1150. doi:10.1097/IAE.0000000000003440Zeev MS, Miller DD, Latkany R.Diagnosis of dry eye disease and emerging technologies.Clin Ophthalmol.2014;8:581-90. doi:10.2147/OPTH.S45444Additional ReadingAll About Vision.Eye discharge: What causes “sleep” in your eyes?American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.Eye allergy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How to treat pink eye.
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.What is sleep crust?Watson S, Cabrera-aguas M, Khoo P.Common eye infections.Aust Prescr.2018;41(3):67-72. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2018.016Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pink eye.Austin A, Lietman T, Rose-Nussbaumer J.Update on the management of infectious keratitis.Ophthalmology. 2017;124(11):1678-1689. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2017.05.012Last A, Burr S, Alexander N, et al.Spatial clustering of high load ocularChlamydia trachomatisinfection in trachoma: a cross-sectional population-based study.Pathog Dis.2017;75(5):ftx050. doi:10.1093/femspd/ftx050Carr W, Schaeffer J, Donnenfeld E.Treating allergic conjunctivitis: A once-daily medication that provides 24-hour symptom relief.Allergy Rhinol(Providence). 2016;7(2):107-14. doi:10.2500/ar.2016.7.0158Petris C, Liu D.Probing for congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction.Cochrane Database Syst Rev.2017;7:CD011109. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD011109.pub2American Academy of Ophthalmology.Blocked tear duct treatment.University of Michigan Health.Entropion.MedlinePlus.Orbital cellulitis.Tsirouki T, Dastiridou AI, Flores NI, et al.Orbital cellulitis.Survey of Ophthalmology. 2018;63(4):534-553. doi:10.1016/j.survophthal.2017.12.001Abdel-Aty A, Linderman WL, Kombo N, Sinard J, Pointdujour-Lim R.Necrotic uveal melanoma mimics orbital cellulitis: a review.Ocul Oncol Pathol. 2022 Feb;8(1):1-8. doi:10.1159/000515558.Ramachandran V, Tumyan G, Loya A, Treat K, Vrcek I.Sebaceous carcinoma masquerading as orbital cellulitis.Cureus. 2022 Feb 16;14(2):e22288. doi:10.7759/cureus.22288.Zhu W, Tian J, Lu X, et al.Incidence and risk factors of postoperative endophthalmitis after primary surgical repair combined with intraocular foreign body removal.Retina. 2022;42(6):1144-1150. doi:10.1097/IAE.0000000000003440Zeev MS, Miller DD, Latkany R.Diagnosis of dry eye disease and emerging technologies.Clin Ophthalmol.2014;8:581-90. doi:10.2147/OPTH.S45444
American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is sleep crust?
Watson S, Cabrera-aguas M, Khoo P.Common eye infections.Aust Prescr.2018;41(3):67-72. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2018.016
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pink eye.
Austin A, Lietman T, Rose-Nussbaumer J.Update on the management of infectious keratitis.Ophthalmology. 2017;124(11):1678-1689. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2017.05.012
Last A, Burr S, Alexander N, et al.Spatial clustering of high load ocularChlamydia trachomatisinfection in trachoma: a cross-sectional population-based study.Pathog Dis.2017;75(5):ftx050. doi:10.1093/femspd/ftx050
Carr W, Schaeffer J, Donnenfeld E.Treating allergic conjunctivitis: A once-daily medication that provides 24-hour symptom relief.Allergy Rhinol(Providence). 2016;7(2):107-14. doi:10.2500/ar.2016.7.0158
Petris C, Liu D.Probing for congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction.Cochrane Database Syst Rev.2017;7:CD011109. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD011109.pub2
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Blocked tear duct treatment.
University of Michigan Health.Entropion.
MedlinePlus.Orbital cellulitis.
Tsirouki T, Dastiridou AI, Flores NI, et al.Orbital cellulitis.Survey of Ophthalmology. 2018;63(4):534-553. doi:10.1016/j.survophthal.2017.12.001
Abdel-Aty A, Linderman WL, Kombo N, Sinard J, Pointdujour-Lim R.Necrotic uveal melanoma mimics orbital cellulitis: a review.Ocul Oncol Pathol. 2022 Feb;8(1):1-8. doi:10.1159/000515558.
Ramachandran V, Tumyan G, Loya A, Treat K, Vrcek I.Sebaceous carcinoma masquerading as orbital cellulitis.Cureus. 2022 Feb 16;14(2):e22288. doi:10.7759/cureus.22288.
Zhu W, Tian J, Lu X, et al.Incidence and risk factors of postoperative endophthalmitis after primary surgical repair combined with intraocular foreign body removal.Retina. 2022;42(6):1144-1150. doi:10.1097/IAE.0000000000003440
Zeev MS, Miller DD, Latkany R.Diagnosis of dry eye disease and emerging technologies.Clin Ophthalmol.2014;8:581-90. doi:10.2147/OPTH.S45444
All About Vision.Eye discharge: What causes “sleep” in your eyes?American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.Eye allergy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How to treat pink eye.
All About Vision.Eye discharge: What causes “sleep” in your eyes?
American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.Eye allergy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How to treat pink eye.
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