Medicines for Watery eyes

What it is

Watery eyes (epiphora) means having too many tears, so they overflow onto the cheek. It is common and usually not serious, though it can be annoying and, if persistent, blur vision or make the skin around the eye sore. There are two broad reasons: making too many tears, or not draining tears away properly. Overproduction is often a response to irritation — for example from dry eyes (which sounds contradictory, but dryness triggers reflex watering), allergies, wind, a foreign body, an infection such as conjunctivitis, or an inturned eyelash. Poor drainage happens when the tear ducts that carry tears from the eye to the nose become narrowed or blocked, which is common with age, and is a frequent cause of a persistently watery eye; it is also common in babies, whose tear ducts may not be fully open at birth (and usually open on their own in the first year). Identifying which is responsible guides treatment.

How it is treated

Treatment depends on the cause. Where watering is due to irritation or dryness, treating that helps — for example lubricating drops for dry eyes (which reduce the reflex watering), managing allergies, or treating an infection or removing a foreign body. Where an eyelid problem (such as an inturned or outturned lid, or an inturned lash) is causing it, that is addressed. Where the tear drainage is blocked or narrowed, options range from simple measures to procedures that open or bypass the blocked duct, depending on the site and severity, and are considered if the watering is troublesome. In babies, a blocked tear duct usually opens on its own within the first year, so reassurance and gentle tear-duct massage are often all that is needed, with treatment reserved for those that persist. A doctor or optician can examine the eye to identify the cause. The reassuring message is that watery eyes are common and usually harmless, and can be helped once the cause is identified.