Suppose you find you have a problem with constantly watering eyes. In that case, it’s usually because of excessive tear production or poor tear drainage.
Our bodies produce tears to keep our eyes lubricated and to help remove any foreign bodies. But when the body has too many tears from chronic dry eyes or tears drainage- the result is excessively watery eyes.
Watering eyes can be troublesome and irritating. Thankfully, new and improved management options are helping to reduce watering even though there is usually no outright cure.
Remember, eye drops are no use to treat watering eyes.
TheraLife Treatment for Watering Eyes
More than 50% of the watery eyes are due to dry eyes. TheraLife Eye is a powerful solution to treat watery eyes due to chronic dry eyes.
TheraLife treats watery eyes from within using an oral capsule. No more drops.
Watering Eyes Symptoms
Characteristics of Watery eyes are excess of tears, giving the eyes a glassy look, resulting in tears running or dripping from the eyes.
Excessive tear production is natural in cold or windy environments or if a foreign body gets into the eye. However, excessive and constant watering is not normal, and causes irritated, soar eyes.
Causes of Watering Eyes
It may occur for many reasons.
Tear overproduction
Watery eyes occur for several reasons, including eyelash and eyelid problems or allergies. Irritation or inflammation of the surface of the eye causes watery eyes. Oddly, a dry eye problem can cause watery eyes because the eye produces excess tears to combat the irritation and dryness.
When the tears don’t stop flowing, the cause isn’t always emotion. Tears are the maintenance fluid of the eye, and problems with this system can cause your eyes to water without any apparent reason.
Suppose you have watery eyes, also known as excessive eye-watering and epiphora. In that case, the problem is either overproduction or under-drainage of tears.
Environmental factors and allergies can also result in watery eyes. More seriously, an infection can be the reason why your eyes won’t stop tearing up.
20% of the tears will evaporate, the orbicularis muscle pumps the remainder of the tears into the lacrimal puncta, the pouch-like bulge you see at the inner corner of the eye (tear duct).
Excess tears flow through the lacrimal ducts to the nasolacrimal duct and out the nasal cavity from the punta. This system has a capacity of 8 microliters, so too much tear production or insufficient drainage can result in watery eyes.
Types of watering eyes
Problems that cause watery eyes to fall into three categories:
- Allergy – Too much tear production
- Chronic Dry Eyes – A problem with the composition of the tears
- Poor drainage of excess tears
A host of problems can lead to watery eyes. Your eye doctor will need to examine the surface of your eye and its duct system to pinpoint the origin of the issue.
Some conditions that can lead to watery eyes include:
- 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 and lead to a buildup and watery eyes.Blockages can occur in the eye, in the punta, or the lower drainage system.
Blockages in the tear duct can lead to an infection called dacryocystitis.Other causes of blockage include sarcoidosis, lymphoma, conjunctivitis (pink eye), and Age-related changes like narrowing of the punctal openings.
- Dry eyes: Dryness is irritating to the eyes and can stimulate the eye to produce more tears.Dry eyes are a condition all on their own. Still, dryness leads to irritation and overproduction of tears caused by allergies, infections, certain medications such as acne medications and birth control pills, or chronic health conditions like arthritis and diabetes.
Smoking, windy or dry environments, and sunlight can also lead to dry eyes.
- Tear chemistry: In some cases, an imbalance in the chemistry of your tears or other substances that lubricate the eye causes watery, dry eyes.Oils that line the eyelids can be out of balance, causing problems in the formation of the tear fluid.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: Many nerves run through the eyes and the face. When there is injury or damage to these nerves, like 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.
- Allergies: Allergies like hay fever are another common cause of watery eyes
Poor tear drainage
Watery eyes can also occur when the eye’s tear drainage channels can’t drain a normal volume of tears.
A blocked tear drainage duct can cause this. It can be caused by narrow or displaced tear drainage openings (puncta) or lax eyelids, causing the normal tear drainage ‘pump’ (usually activated by blinking) to fail.
Clogged tear ducts
In excessive tear production, we treat watery eyes by stabilizing the tear film with several interventions, including warm compresses or more robust IPL treatment. Treatment for tear drainage problems usually requires surgical assistance.
Diagnosis for watering eyes
The first step in diagnosing the cause of watery eyes is by collecting a thorough history and conducting an eye exam. Aside from visually examining your eye, your eye doctor will also want to know about:
- Medications you take
- Any injuries that may have impacted your eyes
- Chronic diseases like Sjogren’s syndrome, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
- Allergies
- Environmental exposures to chemicals or other irritants
Additional tests your doctor may perform include.
- Dye disappearance test: For this test, your doctor will drop a dye into the corner of your eye.Do not wipe it away or touch your eye. After five minutes, the dye should clear from the eye.If dye remains, this will indicate a possible blockage somewhere in the drainage system.Patterns of dye and observing how well the dye drains—checked by swabbing the inside of the nose—can give your doctor additional information about the drainage of tears from your eyes.
- Snap and distraction test: Your eyelid is pulled down and away from the eye during this test.Your doctor will observe how far the lid can be pulled and how long it takes to return to its original position.This test provides clues to whether your tearing comes from a problem with the eyelid function itself.
- Lacrimal drainage system irrigation to test tear duct blockage: Your doctor will use topical anesthesia for comfort in this test.
Water is inserted into the punctum at the corner of the eye, and insert a small syringe tip. The tip will move easily into the punctum if there is no obstruction. Next, push saline or water through the syringe.
The fluid should flow to the nose or throat without disruption. If the liquid 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 mucus drainage comes out with the fluid, this is an indication that part of the drainage system may be infected.
Watering eyes treatment
Treatment for watery eyes focuses on resolving the underlying cause. If the trigger for your watery eyes is an allergy or environmental irritant, antihistamines or improving the air quality around you may help.
Watering eyes caused by chronic dry eyes- the best treatment is TheraLife Eye.
In some cases, chronic diseases like Sjogren’s syndrome are to blame. This disease, in particular, impacts how the body creates moisture. Treating chronic conditions like this can help alleviate the symptoms, like dry eyes, that come with it.
Suppose an obstruction or infection is the cause of your watery eyes. In that case, your doctor may be able to perform a procedure to clear the blockage by gently inserting a small instrument through the punctum, like during the lacrimal drainage irrigation test.
If an infection is present, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics.
In severe cases, surgery is required to clear large obstructions or even rebuild the lacrimal drainage system.
This procedure is called dacryocystorhinostomy and requires 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.3
Prognosis of watery eyes
Generally, treatment for watery eyes is successful. As in the case with TheraLife, once dry eyes are under management, the watery eyes will naturally stop. It takes three months.
Clearing obstructions can resolve the problem. Treating underlying issues like allergies will also help alleviate this problem.
In some cases, if your watery eyes have no cause – then you have a condition known as functional epiphora. Some treatments can help, such as Botox injections and surgery, but the success rate of these treatments varies widely.
Home remedies for watery eyes
There are several things you can do to help relieve watery eyes:
- TheraLife Eye chronic dry eye protocol to treat dry eyes, blepharitis, and MGD for complete recovery. TheraLife protocol stops watery, dry eyes naturally. TheraLife is all-natural. No prescription is needed.
- Eye drops may help soothe irritated eyes or relieve dryness that leads to watery eyes. Choose lubricating products rather than solutions for reducing red-eye, which can irritate.
- If allergies cause your watery eyes, reduce your exposure to allergens.When pollen counts are high, stay indoors as much as possible.Close the windows, and run the air conditioner.It may also mean keeping a pet out of the house.
Installing high-efficiency air filters in your home, removing household items that collect dust, covering mattresses and pillows with finely woven fabrics that prevent dust mites, using synthetic-fiber pillows, and installing dehumidifiers in basements and other damp rooms to prevent mold.
- For blockages, your doctor may recommend a warm compress. They may ask you to put a warm, wet, clean washcloth on the eye a few times a day – this could help open up the blocked punctum and let any fluid inside drain out in just a few days or longer.
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