Tearing and Watering Eyes

Your tears serve an important purpose for the health of your eye. With every blink, tears are distributed over the surface of the eye to lubricate the surface and wash away particles and foreign bodies.

An abnormality of the tear film or a blockage in the tear drainage system can lead to blurry vision, irritated dry eyes, and infection. To understand how and why, it’s important to know the difference between watery eyes and tearing.

Watery eyes occur when there is too much tear production or poor drainage of the tear duct. Watering implies a problem with the eyelids or the tear film.

Watering eyes are caused by an abnormally positioned eyelid conditions, such as ectropion (out-turned lid) and entropion (in-turned lid). It both cases, the opening in the lower eyelid to collect tears (lower punctum) is not properly positioned to collect tears.

Tearing is the spilling of tears down the cheek and implies a partial or complete blockage somewhere along the tear drainage system. Multiple factors can simultaneously contribute to tearing, such as tear film abnormalities, an abnormally positioned eyelid, and/or a blockage of a tear duct. A thorough exam in the office is necessary to determine which factors contribute to a patient’s tearing problem.

Tears are primarily produced within a gland in the outside corner of your eye socket called the lacrimal gland. Tears are distributed over your eye’s surface with each blink, much like a windshield wiper on a car’s windshield. The tear film is an important component of the eye’s optical system. Thus, an abnormality of the tear film can cause blurry vision as well as irritated, dry eyes and reflex tearing.

Tear drainage begins with blinking. Your tears follow a drainage system beginning in your eyelid margins and ending in the tear duct. A blockage can occur anywhere along the drainage system. Examination in the office is used to determine where along this pathway a blockage may exist.

If there is blockage in the tear duct, it can lead to an infection. Symptoms range from mild redness and irritation on the inside corner of the eyelids to a severe cellulitis requiring immediate care. Antibiotics are used in the short term, but sometimes tear duct surgery is necessary to prevent the infection from recurring. This is a same-day surgery under local with sedation and local anesthesia.

If you suffer from watery eyes or excessive tearing, contact us to make an appointment with our eyelid specialists for a thorough examination.

What can I expect after tear duct surgery?

There is typically minimal discomfort after surgery. Care includes frequent ice pack applications, head elevation, and limiting bending over and heavy lifting. Patients should avoid nose blowing for 2 weeks. Nasal decongestants and moisturizers may be used during this time period.