Watery Eyes Causes That Might Surprise You

Do you constantly find yourself wiping your eyes throughout the day? Watery eyes are often dismissed as harmless issues, and they usually are. We tend to blame our long hours of scrolling, increasing pollution, and lack of sleep for this seemingly small problem. But, at times, they could also ring warning bells for more serious eye problems.

It’s better to solve the mild discomfort before it overflows into something more serious. In this blog, we’ll cover potential problems, home solutions, and inform what to look for before it gets too serious.

What Causes Watery Eyes?

Epiphora, or watery eyes, are usually due to dry eyes or failure in complete tear drainage. While tears fulfil their job of keeping your eye surface clean and healthy, too much of it could signal a problem. Here are some potential reasons for your constant watery eyes:

• Allergies: Exposure to fumes and dust while travelling, pollution, pollen, or seasonal irritation could bother your eyes.
• Dry Eyes: Ironically, a tear reflex is what occurs in case of dry eyes. The eye sends distress signals to the brain due to a lack of moisture, causing the glands to release a flood of tears to deal with the discomfort.
• Screen Fatigue: Long hours of screen-staring at the office reduce blink rate, causing disruption in the tear film. The eye reacts reflexively by watering.
• Eye Infections: Conjunctivitis, a stye, Blepharitis, or other infections cause watery eyes and irritation. It is often accompanied by discharge and warrants a visit to a specialist.
• Blocked Tear Ducts: The lacrimal glands produce tears at all times to lubricate the eye. A blocked tear duct prevents these tears from being drained by the puncta at the corner of the eyelids and entering the nasolacrimal duct, which leads to the nasal cavity as they usually do. This causes watery eyes.

Everyday Habits That Can Trigger Watery Eyes

The urban, rushed lives that we lead contribute significantly to the eye problems you are facing. If you travel for work daily or spend long hours staring at your screen, here are some everyday triggers that might be causing your watery eyes:

1. Air conditioning exposure

Air conditioners suck the moisture from the air. This leads to increased dryness, which can be a major irritant if you spend long hours in a closed car, office or hospital space.

2. Pollution and dust

Minute particles of dust always pollute the city air. These disturb the ocular surface of your eye, leading to irritation and watering.

3. Excess UV Exposure

If your travel time falls between 10 am and 4 pm, the harsh sunlight could be affecting your eyes. UV exposure for long hours leads to eye sunburn, namely photokeratitis. The eye overproduces tears to deal with this.

4. Poor sleep

Not getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep daily? Your eyes lose their rest hours, used to produce lubricating tears. It makes up for the deficit during the day.

5. Rubbing eyes frequently

Constantly rubbing your eyes could lead to surface irritation. This can stimulate the vagus nerve, leading to an excess tear production problem.

6. Contact lens overuse

Unclean or overworn lenses can cause eye irritation and watering.

7. Digital Eye Strain

If you’re not taking breaks every 20 minutes of staring at the screen, your reduced blinking rate is your enemy.

When Watery Eyes Could Be a Sign of an Eye Problem

Not every instance of watery eyes requires you to raise an internal alarm. However, persistent and severe symptoms should not be ignored. You could be at risk of a serious problem, like:

1. Dry Eye Syndrome

Dry eye syndrome is common among those over 35 years of age. It happens when tear production drops or the tear evaporation rate increases. It’s accompanied by burning, redness, and slight vision blurring. It can lead to watery eyes immediately after waking up.

2. Eye Allergies

If you feel a persistent itch in your eye, the culprit could be allergies. Allergies causing watery eyes trigger the release of histamine, which produces excess tears and redness.

3. Eye Infections

Infections, like Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye), happen when the clear tissue lining your eyes, namely the conjunctiva, becomes inflamed. It’s one of the most common reasons for tearing, caused by bacteria or pollutants.

4. Eyelid Problem or Blocked Tear Ducts

Blocked tear ducts and eyelid problems, especially triggered by old age, are common reasons. Tearing could accompany conditions like entropion or ectropion, which cause your eyelid to turn inward or outward, respectively.

5. Corneal Irritation or Injury

A tiny corneal abrasion or sudden irritation could lead to watery eyes. If you notice eye pain when under a light source, a corneal injury is the likely cause.
These eye problems require expert advice to treat, and are worth consulting an ophthalmologist for.

Temporary Measures to Relieve Watery Eyes

Here are some quick fixes that you can try to reduce eye-watering problems:

• Plan screen-free breaks regularly: Follow the 20-20-20 rule regularly (pause every 20 minutes, stare at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds) to improve blink rate.
• Don’t rub your eyes: Rubbing your eyes can expose the cornea to dust and pollutants from your fingers.
• Remain hydrated: Your health and vision improve immediately.
• Use protective eyewear when travelling: Use eyewear to beat UV exposure and attacks from dust particles easily.
• Regulate your sleep cycle: Sleeping keeps you rested and your eyes healthy.
• Wash hands regularly: Ensure you wash your hands with soap before wearing your contacts in or touching your eyes.
• Use lubricating eye drops only if recommended: Ask a doctor to prescribe drops to help with dry eyes and irritation. It is not advisable to use medicated drops without a prescription.

These temporary remedies will not work as a permanent treatment for watery eyes if your tear ducts are blocked or you have an infection. Visit an expert to get your eyes checked and treated.

When Should You See an Eye Specialist?

Wonder if your constant watering eyes are a serious symptom? Don’t guess; here are solid reasons to book your appointment with an eye specialist now:

• Persistent tearing, with other symptoms.
• Unbearable or continued pain.
• Blurring in vision.
• Inflammation in or around the eye.
• Light sensitivity.
• Sticky discharge from the eye.
• Symptoms that last for more than a day.

If any of these sound relatable, it’s time for a painless evaluation. Don’t rely on self-diagnosis when your vision is what you rely on most. Book an appointment with an eye specialist in Mumbai at Arohi Eye Hospital.

Conclusion

When you don’t treat your vision for the future casually, why treat your eyes in such a manner?
While excess eye watering may feel like a casual thing, people often tend to ignore their eyes till they get much worse. In rare cases, when your eye infection is not severe, you can find temporary relief by incorporating better habits into your routine. However, when temporary measures don’t work, trust the professionals. Timely evaluation can prevent permanent vision distortion and unnecessary irritation that can hinder daily function.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When should I be worried about a watery eye?

Watery eyes should not be ignored when they are followed by excessive pain, noticeable physical changes in or around the eyes, vision problems or are accompanied by symptoms that begin to hinder your routine.

2. Are watery eyes a sign of an eye infection?

Yes, watery eyes can signal an infection if they are accompanied by other symptoms like eye redness and pain, crusting, blurring in vision, and a thick discharge. It is advisable to consult an ophthalmologist before it becomes severe.

3. Why does only one eye keep watering?

Watery eyes could suggest a blocked or damaged tear duct, which obstructs tear drainage into your nasolacrimal duct, causing an overflow of tears. In some cases, it can also point to a corneal abrasion or injury.

4. Can screen time make eyes water?

Yes, long hours of screen time is usually paired with reduced blinking rates, leading to dry eyes. As a way of compensation, your eye naturally signals the brain to produce more tears, which causes your eyes to water.

5. What treatments are available for watery eyes?

The ophthalmologist may suggest taking frequent breaks from the screen, monitoring sleep time, wearing protective eye gear, or applying lubricating drops regularly. If eye watering and irritation continues, the ophthalmologist may suggest tests that will ascertain the underlying cause of your worry.