Eyes water for many reasons - it is the main function of the eye to help keep it lubricated and clean. Persistent and excessive watery eyes that are not the result of crying or lubricating in order to wash out particles, are usually a symptom of an underlaying condition.
Glands that are positioned under the skin of the upper eyelids serve to produce tears which contain water and salt. When a person blinks the tears spread to keep the eye moisturised. Tears are discharged through the tear ducts and evaporate after. When too many tears are being produced, the tear ducts become overwhelmed and the condition develops.
In most cases watery eyes resolve without any treatment, but there are cases in which the condition may become a chronic problem. If you notice that you are in this state for a longer time and you start noticing any other symptoms make sure to contact a doctor as soon as possible.
What are the causes?
Most commonly watery eyes appear just as a temporary problem that goes away over time.
It is usual to produce tears during the day especially when yawning, laughing, having a foreign object in the eye, such as an eyelash or dust, when the eyes are exposed to direct sunlight for a longer time and etc.
One of the most usual reasons for the condition to develop is having the dry eye syndrome. The eyes will produce more tears in order to try and keep themselves moisturised as extremely dry eyes usually cause the excess production of tears.
If the tears that are produced do not contain the right amount and balance of supplements as salt, water and oils the eyes can become too dry and in result they become more irritated which causes an overproduction of tears.
Except the dry eye syndrome some other conditions that may trigger watery eyes are:
- Blocked tear ducts
- Injury on the eye
- Dusty Weather
- Medications
- Inflammation
- Blepharitis
- Eye Strain
- Foreign objects in the eye
- Chemotherapy
- Conjunctivitis
- Ectropion
- Entropion
- Ingrown Eyelash
How to treat Watery Eyes?
If the condition has not disappeared by itself and you have to contact a doctor be prepared to inform him of any eye diseases and problems you may have beside watery eyes.
A test that determines if fluids can pass through the tear ducts may also be needed in order to determine the cause of the problem.
Depending on the cause, some of the treatments are:
- Antibiotics in case there is an infection
- Eye drops
- A warm and wet towel to be placed on top of the eyes a couple of times a day in order to help blocked tear ducts
- Surgery to create a new drainage system
- Surgery to clear blocked tear ducts
If you notice you are experiencing any eye problems that are causing you discomfort especially for a long period of time contact a professional so you can get your eyes properly checked in order to determine if there is a serious problem and to get correct treatment!