Watery Eyes Causes

Watery eyes can get very irritating. I know, cause along with constantly having to dab my eyes, I have to convince people that I am not crying. Now, what am I to do if my eyes tend to get extremely watery from time to time, without me doing anything that should cause them to shed tears like that? And it has left me wondering what's causing this eye problem to occur. What could be the causes of watery eyes and what is one to do about them. So what I did was, I went on this rampant research spree one evening and I found out the why, what and how of this condition. I'm getting into a little detail in the following article and if you've ever had the case of tearing eyes and need to know the causes of watery eyes, then you should read the rest of this article for more information.

Causes of Watery Eyes - Common Problems

The medical term for watery eyes is epiphora. This condition is more prevalent in children and the aged, but it can develop at any age. This condition mainly comes about due to the inability of the tear ducts to function normally. Tears are necessary for lubrication of our eyes, and they protect the eyes from infections. But sometimes, excessive tears are produced by the tear glands and this causes watery eyes. This condition can also be a result of accumulation of tears in the eyes due to poor drainage of tears, caused by a blockage in the tear duct. But that's not all, as there are several other causes of watery eyes. It is not a medical emergency and can be treated easily. Let us have a look at some of the common causes of watery eyes.

• Dry eye
• Blocked nasolacrimal duct
• Abnormal functioning of tear glands
• Irritants
• Eye allergies
• Irregular growth of eyelids
• Blepharitis
• Ingrown eyelashes
• Eye infection
• Conjunctivitis
• Old age

Dry Eye Syndrome: Surprisingly, one of the reasons for having watery eyes is dry eye or dry eye syndrome. Dry eye syndrome makes the eyes sore, uncomfortable and too much dry and this causes excessive secretion of tears.

Blocked Nasolacrimal Duct: The glands that produce tears are present above the eyes. When tears are produced, they flow into the tear ducts in the eyelids and make their way out through the eyes. They then continue into the nasolacrimal duct which is found on the inside of the nose, and then make their way out through the nose (that is the reason our nose starts to run when we are crying). When there is abnormal functioning of the tear glands or the pathway through which the tears pass is blocked, the excess tears cannot pass to the nose and flow out in excess from the corner of the eyes.

Blepharitis: Blepharitis is basically inflammation of eyelids which causes dysfunction of the glands present at the boundaries of the eyelids where the eyelashes grow. The malfunction of these glands causes growth of certain bacteria near the roots of eyelashes, which leads to watery eyes, scaly red eyelids and loss of eyelashes.

Conjunctivitis: Conjunctivitis or "pink eye", is nothing but infection of a membrane known as conjunctiva that is present near the lining of the eyelids. Viral or bacterial infection, exposure to certain chemicals, use of contact lenses, etc are some of the causes of conjunctivitis. The symptoms of conjunctivitis include, blurred vision, eye pain, watery eyes, sensitivity to light, etc.

Irritants: Anything that irritates the eye, leads to production of tears. When any foreign particle enters the eye, it causes irritation in the eye. This foreign particle can be dust, smoke, pollen, smog, wind, etc.

Ingrown Eyelashes: The medical term used to define ingrowing eyelashes is trichiasis. Trichiasis is characterized by eyelashes that grow such that they point towards the eye-ball. In addition to watery eyes, eye redness, eye discomfort and irritation of the eye-ball, are some other symptoms of trichiasis.

Watery Eyes Treatment

Now that we know what some of the causes of watery eyes are, let us get into the details of exploring the different treatment options. The cause of watery eyes needs to be ascertained so that the right kind of treatment can be prescribed. Antibiotic or other medical eye drops are usually prescribed for allergies and other eye infections. Along with that, lubricating eye drops are used for the treatment of dry eyes. If mucus is present in the eyes, then it indicates blockage of the nasolacrimal duct. Eye allergies can be treated by using antihistamines. Surgery, as an option, is only looked into if it is an inward turned eyelid or there is blockage of the tear ducts. These are minor procedures and are considered fairly routine.

I hope that this article helped you understand the varied causes of watery eyes and the ways to treat them. If you find the problem becoming persistent and causing a lot of discomfort, visit your eye doctor to get a checkup done and determine the kind of treatment that needs to be carried forth.