Apart from the common eye diseases we know as refractive errors, there are also different conditions that threaten eye health. One of these problems that affect your daily comfort and quality of vision is frequent watering of the eyes. The most common question of our patients who experience this problem is “Why are my eyes watering?”. Is this a disease? When should a person consult a doctor? Let’s look at our answers to the questions.
Why do our eyes water?
To answer this question, we first need to understand what tears are and what they do. Tears are a fluid that is of great importance for the health of our eyes, keeping the eyes oily and acting as a cleanser against foreign particles and dust. Produced by the glands in our eyelids, tears are released every time you blink, keeping the eye moist. Here again, the glands produce oils that prevent the tears from evaporating immediately, so that the eyes stay both moist and healthy.
What is the relationship between watery eyes and tears?
The answer to the question “Why are my eyes watering?” is usually dry eye syndrome. The quality of the tears produced in dry eye syndrome is not sufficient. Since there is not the right amount of water, salt and fat in the tears, that is, your tears are not of sufficient quality, the natural cycle is damaged.
Due to the rapid evaporation of tears and the poor quality of the tears, your eyes can become extremely dry and dry eye syndrome occurs. Irritation here can cause an increase in the amount of tears flowing out of the tear ducts, i.e. excessive tear production.
Although it may seem like the opposite, dry eye syndrome can be one of the main causes of watery eyes. Since this condition will usually cause a persistent watery eye, the effect can last for a long time. There are also some cases where the effect of watery eyes occurs for a shorter period of time. We will talk about these situations just below.
Other Factors That May Cause Watery Eyes
- Allergic conditions and sinus problems
- Injection status
- Environmentally influencing factors such as smoke and bright light
- Digital eye strain
- Environmental influences such as direct sunlight or wind
- Eyelid inflammation conditions
- Contact with a foreign body in the eye
- Problems such as blockage in the tear ducts
When is it necessary to consult a doctor?
We tried to answer the question of why watery eyes occur. When it comes to when to consult a doctor, it should be said that the condition of the patient experiencing the problem is important here.
If watery eyes are due to a momentary cause, you will not feel any long-term discomfort. However, if the watering complaint is continuous and the symptoms listed below are added to these, you should definitely consult a specialist doctor.
Complaints that may occur with watery eyes
- Severe headache
- Distortions in vision
- Injury or irritation to the eye
- Burning and stinging sensation
- Swelling and pain in the eye
If you have these and related symptoms, it is important to consult a specialist physician immediately.
