Most people have experienced watery eyes (also known as epiphora), at least once in their life. If you’re not cutting onions or laughing hard, there is probably a medical reason your eyes are watering. But what is it?
Some conditions are temporary and don’t need any medical help, while others are chronic and will only resolve with the help of an eye doctor.
If you’re not sure why your eyes are watering or how to treat them, read on for the top five causes of watery eyes.
1. Dry Eyes
Dry eyes are the most common cause of epiphora. There are a variety of causes of dry eyes, but all of them result in excessive tearing.
Reflex Tearing
When your eyes are irritated your nervous system responds by telling your tear ducts to water. Extra tears are produced in an effort to ease the dryness.
If your eyes are itchy, burning, feel gritty, or stinging and are more watery than normal, you probably suffer from dry eyes and reflex tearing.
If you treat the root cause of your dry eyes then your epiphora should also go away.
Not Enough Oil
The outer layers of our eyes have an oil layer. If the oil gland doesn’t produce enough oil, the tears that lubricate our eyes evaporate more quickly. Our tear ducts will catch on and attempt to compensate. Often they will overcompensate and you will have watery eyes.
Dry eyes caused by an oil gland issue can be treated and will solve your watery eye issue.
Lifestyle
Sometimes our dry eyes are a symptom of our lifestyle. These common choices can cause dry eyes:
- Excessive screen time
- Not getting enough sleep
- Smoking
- Dehydration
- Not changing contact lenses often enough
- A diet low in healthy fatty acids
- Spending long amounts of time focusing on projects, such as writing, painting, or reading
Where we spend our time can impact the dryness of our eyes just as much as what we are or are not doing.
Weather/Climate
Being outside in certain weather conditions or climates can cause dry eyes.
Extreme temperatures in either direction can cause dry eyes. As can a dry climate. If you live in a very hot, cold, or dry climate you are more likely to suffer from dry eyes.
Windy conditions and poor air quality can also impact your eye health and lead to dry eyes.
Dry eyes and epiphora can come on quickly, but can also be resolved quickly. Spending less time in poor outdoor conditions will help alleviate your dry eyes. Adjusting the humidity and temperature indoors can compensate for the offending weather or climate outdoors as well.
2. Allergies
2. AllergiesWatery eyes are one of the top indicators of an allergic reaction. Our eyes will get itchy and watery in response to allergens. This is true of all types of allergies, whether they be environmental, makeup, food, chemical, or something else.
Histamine Release
Allergic epiphora is one of the least dangerous, but most prevalent ways people experience watery eyes. When allergens meet the mast cells in our eyes, they release histamine. The histamine will cause the blood vessels to expand, leading to watery eyes.
While allergic epiphora in itself isn’t dangerous to the eyes, some allergic reactions can be life-threatening. If you experience more than watery eyes, seek medical attention immediately.
Protective Tears
Even without the release of histamine, our eyes often create tears when they come into contact with allergens as a defense mechanism. The tears are meant to clear our eyes from what is bothering them and what our body has deemed dangerous.
Protective tears can help sweep unwanted substances from our eyes. Because our eyes are an open barrier into our bodies they utilize tears to help protect our internal systems from coming into contact with allergens, viruses, bacteria, and debris.
Watery eyes can be a pain, but it is evidence that our eyes are attempting to protect the rest of our body.
3. Eyelid Conditions
Sometimes epiphora isn’t caused by outside conditions. Our eyelids can be the cause of watery eyes. When we have eyelid conditions or irregularities our eyes will water in response to the irritation.
Blepharitis
Blepharitis is characterized by red, swollen, flaky eyelids. This is why you might hear blepharitis colloquially called eye dandruff.
Blepharitis has multiple, widespread causes. Infection, allergies, vitamin deficiencies, bacteria, clogged ducts, and even eyelash mites or lice can cause blepharitis.
This condition can be difficult to treat, but it doesn’t cause permanent damage. You can treat the symptoms for some relief even if you can’t fully heal your eyelids.
Entropion
Entropion is a condition where your eyelid turns inward. The slant of the eyelid leads eyelashes and skin to rub against the eye. This will cause protective tearing.
Surgery is the only long-term fix, but eye drops can provide symptomatic relief.
Drooping Eyelid
A drooping eyelid can be caused by age, nerve damage, injury, or disease. Sometimes, there is no cause and can be present since birth.
There are two main types of a drooping eyelid:
- Ptosis: When the lower edge of the eyelid droops
- Dermatochalasis: When the entire eyelid has baggy skin that droops.
There are a variety of surgical and medical options to resolve drooping eyelid conditions. Like other conditions, eye drops can help symptoms until the larger issue can be taken care of.
Trichiasis
The medical term for ingrown eyelashes is trichiasis. Ingrown hairs can irritate and rub against our eyes. Anytime our eyes are irritated they will produce more tears.
Ingrown eyelashes are easy to treat and will go away without lasting damage in the vast majority of cases.
4. Infection
Infections are one of the most universal causes of watery eyes. People of all ages, from various backgrounds, and on every continent have likely experienced watery eyes from an illness.
Pink Eye/Conjunctivitis
Pink eye and other types of conjunctivitis are common contagious eye infections. As is the case with other irritants, pink eye will cause excessive tearing as your body tries to expel the infection.
Pink eye is easy to treat and can usually be addressed without leaving your house. Doctors can easily diagnose and prescribe treatment via a telehealth appointment.
Common Cold
Common ColdThe common cold will cause watery eyes for a few reasons. Both are automatic, non-dangerous responses to invading viruses or bacteria.
Whenever we get sick our bodies create more white blood cells. As white blood cells rush out to address the attacking foreign bodies they leave inflammation in their wake. Our eyes can experience white blood cell-induced inflammation and tear up as a reaction.
The other reason our eyes water is the same as in other causes of watery eyes. Our body creates an immune response causing our eyes to flush out the virus or bacteria with tears.
Water eyes are often a call to arms to protect our bodies from danger.
5. Eye Injuries
The last common cause of eye-watering is eye injuries. Anytime our eyes get injured they will react by tearing up. It is one of the fastest defense mechanisms our eyes have.
Have you ever been hit in the face with a ball or other small object and instantly started crying even if you weren’t in that much pain? This is proof of how quickly our eyes can start to water if they sense trouble.
Scratched Cornea
Scratched corneas can be serious injuries. If left untreated they can cause permanent damage.
Scratched corneas are often caused by debris. Our eyes will begin to tear up to try and clear away debris or particles in the injured area.
This will happen even if the debris is already gone. Our eyes will continue to water as a reaction to the scratch.
If you believe you have scratched your cornea seek medical attention.
Debris
Every time we get something in our eye our eye will instantly react by trying to flush debris out. Watery eyes are a defense mechanism used to expel debris.
If you feel like you have something in your eye you can blink to remove it or flush your eyes with clean water or a saline solution.
If there are sharp objects or large pieces of debris you will likely need medical attention to remove them.
Chemicals
Our eyes react to chemicals in the same way they do to solid debris. Your tear ducts are activated to try and flush the irritant and protect your eye.
Chemical irritation or burns are serious. Watery eyes are one of multiple indicators that your eye has been injured.
You should flush your eyes to remove any residual chemicals. If you feel fine after thoroughly flushing your eyes you probably don’t have lasting damage. If you continue to have burning, itching, blindness, or pain you have injured your eye and need help.
Treatment for Watery Eyes
Our eyes don’t create extra tears for no reason. If you are struggling with watery eyes, there is a root cause that can be treated.
Eye Drops
In some situations, eye drops are all that are needed to solve watery eyes. They can help resolve allergies, infections, dry eyes, and some injuries.
Other situations will require more than eye drops to bring longer-lasting or permanent relief.
Treating the root cause
When larger issues are causing watery eyes you might need surgery or a more aggressive approach to heal your eyes. Once the root cause is addressed your watery eyes should stop.
Sometimes watery eyes can’t be healed. You can help mediate other symptoms though.
Medical Attention
If your eyes are watering and you don’t know why, you should get to the bottom of the issue. Schedule an eye exam if you are struggling with recurrent epiphora.
*This article does not constitute as medical advice. Consult your doctor before treatment.
