Watery eyes, also known as tearing or epiphora, is a common condition that can affect anyone. While it’s a normal bodily response to certain irritants or conditions, excessively watery eyes can be bothersome and even interfere with your daily life. Understanding why your eyes are running is the first step towards finding relief and appropriate treatment.
Common Causes of Watery Eyes
It’s perfectly normal for your eyes to produce tears to keep them lubricated and wash away irritants. You might experience eyes running in specific situations, such as when you’re in a smoky environment, exposed to cold air, or when the wind is blowing. These are usually temporary and resolve on their own. However, persistent or excessive tearing can stem from various underlying causes.
Environmental Factors and Irritants
Simple environmental factors are often the culprits behind why your eyes are running. Exposure to:
- Cold or wind: These can trigger tear production as a protective mechanism.
- Smoke and pollution: Irritants in the air can cause your eyes to water to flush them out.
Eye Irritation and Foreign Objects
Physical irritation to the eye can also lead to tearing. This includes:
- Foreign bodies: An eyelash, dust, or grit in your eye will cause it to water in an attempt to expel the object.
- Eye injury: Any scratch or injury to the eye’s surface can trigger excessive tear production.
Infections and Allergies
Infections and allergic reactions are frequent reasons why your eyes are running. Common conditions include:
- Conjunctivitis (pink eye): This infection, whether viral or bacterial, causes inflammation of the conjunctiva, leading to redness, discharge, and watery eyes.
- Allergies: Seasonal or perennial allergies can cause your eyes to water, itch, and become red due to allergens like pollen, dust mites, or pet dander.
Blocked Tear Ducts
Tears drain from your eyes through small tubes called tear ducts (nasolacrimal ducts) that empty into your nose. Blockage in these ducts can lead to eyes running because tears cannot drain properly and build up on the eye surface.
Dry Eyes Paradoxically Cause Watery Eyes
It might seem counterintuitive, but dry eyes are a common cause of why your eyes are running. When your eyes are dry, they can become irritated, signaling your body to produce reflex tears in an attempt to overcompensate for the lack of lubrication. This can result in excessive tearing, even though the underlying issue is dryness.
Eyelid Problems
Issues with your eyelids can also contribute to watery eyes:
- Ectropion: This is a condition where the eyelid turns outwards, pulling away from the eye. This can disrupt tear drainage and lead to eyes running.
- Eyelid drooping or other eyelid problems: Any condition affecting the eyelid’s position or function can impact tear drainage and cause watery eyes.
Medical Conditions and Medications
Certain medical conditions and medications can also be responsible for why your eyes are running:
- Bell’s palsy: This condition causes temporary weakness or paralysis of facial muscles, which can affect eyelid closure and tear drainage, leading to watery eyes.
- Medications and cancer treatments: Some medications and cancer treatments have side effects that include watery eyes.
Infant Watery Eyes
It’s common for babies to have eyes running in their first few weeks of life because their tear ducts are still developing. In most cases, this resolves naturally as they grow.
When to Seek Help for Watery Eyes
While watery eyes often improve on their own, it’s important to know when to seek professional advice.
When to Consult a Pharmacist
For mild cases of watery eyes, a pharmacist can offer guidance and recommend over-the-counter solutions. You can ask a pharmacist about:
- Self-care treatments: They can advise on how to clean and protect your eyes at home.
- Over-the-counter remedies: Pharmacists can recommend lubricating eye drops, cleaning solutions, or allergy medications to alleviate symptoms.
- When to see a specialist: They can help you determine if your symptoms warrant a visit to an optician or GP.
When to See a Doctor (GP) – Non-Urgent
Consult a GP if your eyes running is persistent or interfering with your daily activities. Seek non-urgent medical advice if:
- Your eyes keep watering and it’s affecting your ability to perform everyday tasks.
- Your eyelid is turning inwards or drooping outwards.
- You notice any lumps or swellings around your eyes that don’t improve with pharmacist-recommended treatments.
When to Seek Urgent Medical Attention
Seek urgent medical help if you experience any of the following alongside eyes running:
- Changes in vision: Such as blurred vision, double vision, or loss of vision.
- Severe eye pain: Intense pain in or around your eye.
In urgent situations, contact your doctor immediately, seek an urgent GP appointment, or get help from emergency services.
Treatment Options for Watery Eyes
Treatment for eyes running depends on the underlying cause. In many cases, if the watering is mild and not bothersome, treatment may not be necessary.
Self-Care and Home Remedies
For mild watery eyes, you can try:
- Protecting your eyes: Wear sunglasses to shield your eyes from wind and sun.
- Warm compresses: Applying a warm compress to your eyes can help soothe irritation and open tear ducts.
- Good eye hygiene: Gently clean your eyelids and eyelashes to remove any debris or irritants.
- Over-the-counter lubricating eye drops: These can help alleviate dryness and irritation, especially if dry eyes are contributing to the problem.
Medical Treatments
If self-care measures are insufficient, medical treatments may be necessary, depending on the cause:
- Eye drops, gels, ointments, or sprays: These can be prescribed to treat dry eyes and reduce reflex tearing.
- Antibiotic eye drops: These are used to treat bacterial eye infections like bacterial conjunctivitis.
- Allergy medications: Antihistamines or other allergy medications can help manage allergy-related watery eyes.
- Removal of foreign body: If a foreign object is causing the tearing, a doctor can remove it.
- Surgery: In cases of blocked tear ducts or eyelid problems like ectropion, a minor surgical procedure may be needed to correct the issue and restore proper tear drainage.
If your GP is unable to determine the cause of your eyes running, they may refer you to an eye specialist (ophthalmologist) for further evaluation and specialized tests.
Understanding why your eyes are running is crucial for effective management. While many cases are temporary and resolve with simple self-care, persistent or severe watery eyes warrant medical attention to identify the underlying cause and receive appropriate treatment.
