How to Stop Watery Eyes: Your Comprehensive Guide

What are the Symptoms of Watery Eyes?

When your eyes produce excessive tears, it’s easy to focus on the most obvious sign—constant tearing. However, watery eyes can lead to an array of secondary eye symptoms that affect your comfort and day-to-day routine. Understanding these accompanying signs is essential to pinpointing the root cause and finding lasting relief. They can include:

• Blurry vision 

• Mucus discharge 

• Irritation and itching 

• Eyelid problems (skin peeling or a loose lower eyelid) 

• Light sensitivity 

Though these symptoms may seem manageable at first, persistent or worsening watery eyes can point to more serious underlying eye conditions such as chronic dry eye, infection, or blocked tear ducts. If you notice your vision quality declining or you develop ongoing discomfort, consult your Nationwide Vision eye care specialist as soon as possible.

Causes of Watery Eyes

Epiphora, or excessive watering of the eye, can be caused by many different conditions, habits, or external factors. While watery eyes may sometimes be a minor inconvenience, chronic or severe cases often indicate an underlying issue that requires targeted treatment. Identifying the root cause is an essential step toward finding the most effective relief.

Environmental Causes

Your immediate surroundings can have a significant impact on how your eyes feel from day to day. Common environmental culprits include:

• Cold and Windy Conditions: Exposure to low temperatures and strong gusts of wind can cause your eyes to dry out quickly. This may cause your tear glands to overcompensate by producing excess tears to keep the surface of the eye lubricated. 

• Smoke and Air Pollution: Smoke from cigarettes, wildfires, or industrial pollution can irritate the delicate tissues in and around the eyes, leading to reflexive tearing. It’s especially problematic for those who already suffer from allergies or dry eye syndrome. 

• Dust and Allergens: Airborne particles like pollen, pet dander, or household dust can trigger an inflammatory response, causing the tear ducts to work overtime. In some cases, persistent irritation can lead to blocked tear ducts, further contributing to watery eyes. 

• Dry Indoor Air: Spending extended time in heated or air-conditioned environments can also deplete natural moisture in the eyes. When they become dry or irritated, tearing may increase in an attempt to soothe them. 

If you suspect your environment is contributing to watery eyes, consider simple solutions like wearing wraparound sunglasses on windy days, using a humidifier at home, or taking regular breaks from dusty or allergen-rich settings. If these measures don’t help, consult your Nationwide Vision eye care specialist for personalized advice. 

Makeup Irritation

Cosmetic products and skincare routines play a surprisingly large role in eye comfort. Makeup can cause infections, styes, and irritations, leading to watery eyes.

• Product Particles and Chemicals: Eye makeup like mascara, eyeliner, or eyeshadow can flake off or migrate into the eye throughout the day, causing redness, itching, and watery discharge. Some individuals are also sensitive to specific ingredients or preservatives in cosmetic products. 

• Rubbing Your Eyes: Touching or rubbing your eyes while wearing makeup increases the likelihood of transferring bacteria or pushing makeup particles under the eyelid. This can irritate the ocular surface or lead to styes (blocked oil glands), both of which prompt extra tear production. 

• Overnight Residue: Forgetting to remove your makeup fully before bed can clog your eyelid pores and tear ducts. This may lead to inflammation, infections, or worsen existing dryness. Persistent buildup can also cause discoloration and flaking skin around the eyes, worsening discomfort and tearing. 

Make sure you always remove makeup thoroughly with a gentle, oil-free remover before going to bed and regularly clean the area around your eyes to remove any residual makeup you may have missed while removing it. Replace cosmetics regularly, particularly products you use around your eyes, to avoid contamination or expired formulations. If irritation or excessive tearing continues despite careful makeup practices, schedule an appointment with your Nationwide Vision optometrist to rule out underlying conditions and get personalized treatment recommendations.

Tear Production Complications

Tear production and drainage is an intricate, precise process involving the secretory system. If any part of this system is off balance, tear production and drainage can change, too. While many factors can throw this balance off, issues can arise from making too many tears or having poor eye drainage.

Making Too Many Tears

Eyes have three types of tears: basal/lubricating tears, reflex tears, and emotional tears.

• Basal tears are made slowly. These tears moisturize the surface of the eye and act as a protective barrier to keep it safe and healthy.  

• Reflexive tears can be produced quickly in response to stimuli impacting the eye. This type of tearing can result from several eye conditions, including allergic conjunctivitis, inflammation, ocular surface disorders, trichiasis, injury to the eye, or dry eye syndrome. Exposure to some chemicals, including hair spray, perfumes, and even cutting onions can cause excessive tears as well.  

• Emotional tears are produced when emotions, whether happiness or sadness, overwhelm you. Not only are these tears a form of emotional expression, but they also help release stress hormones and natural painkillers. 

Having Poor Eye Drainage

Poor eye drainage can stem from other conditions, such as a blocked tear duct. Tear ducts are at the corner of the eyes near the nose. When these are clogged, tears can't drain from your eyes into your nose, where they either disappear through evaporation or reabsorption. Instead, the tears stay in the eye, making it watery. If the tears don’t drain from the eye properly, it can lead to an infection.

Tear duct blockages can be caused by a variety of eye conditions. Narrow tear ducts, chronic eye inflammation, swelling, eye infections, glaucoma, previous facial surgeries, and even previous cancer treatment can cause blockages. 

Who is Most Likely to Experience Watery Eyes?

Anyone can have excessive eye-watering, but it's most common in newborns and older people. Nasolacrimal duct obstruction, or dacryostenosis, is a condition that causes excessive eye watering and discharge in 6% to 20% of newborns. It usually fixes itself as the ducts develop or with simple treatments like massages, eye drops, and topical antibiotics. By most kids' first birthdays, 90% of tear duct blockages have resolved.

Older individuals may experience eyelid malposition. The two types of eyelid malposition are entropion and ectropion. These conditions are characterized by the eyelid being turned abnormally inward or outward. This malformation can contribute to eye-watering, as the eyelid has become misshapen with age and is having difficulty regulating tear flow. Both types of malposition can be treated with surgery. 

Treatments for Watery Eyes

The best way to treat your watery eyes depends on the underlying conditions that is causing them. Sometimes, no active treatment is necessary if your eye doctor determines the problem is mild or temporary. In these cases, "watchful waiting" is often advised, meaning you will monitor any changes in frequency, intensity, and triggers over time. Keeping a simple record of when your eyes water (during certain activities, times of day, or specific environments) can help your doctor find patterns, pinpoint the cause, and prescribe the most effective solution. Here are a few treatments your eye doctor may recommend for watery eyes.

OTC or Prescription Eye Drops

Artificial tears and lubricating eye drops are often the first line of defense against dryness, irritation, and subsequent tearing. These drops can supplement your eye’s natural moisture and create a protective layer on the eye’s surface. Some are preservative-free, which can be gentler for those with sensitive eyes or chronic dryness.

If over-the-counter drops are ineffective, your doctor may prescribe you stronger eye drops or ocular steroids. These drops help reduce inflammation in the eye’s surface or eyelids and can bring significant relief when dryness or irritation is severe. In many cases, prescription eye drops also address underlying inflammation that’s triggering excessive tear production.

Antibiotics and Medicated Eye Drops

If bacterial infections or other microbial issues are causing excessive tearing, you might need oral antibiotics or medicated eye drops to stop the infection. Sometimes, a doctor may have you use both treatments at once. Oral antibiotics are typically prescribed if the infection is more systemic or if there’s an accompanying eyelid (such as a stye) or sinus involvement. Topical antibiotic eye drops, on the other hand, target the infection at its source, reducing bacterial overgrowth on the eye’s surface and easing related inflammation.

You might begin noticing improvements within a few days, but it’s crucial to complete the full course of any prescribed medication to prevent bacterial resistance or recurrence. If your symptoms don’t improve or worsen, consult your Nationwide Vision eye care professional for further assessment.

Allergy Medications

Allergies are a common culprit behind excessive tearing. When airborne allergens, pet dander, or pollen irritate your eyes, your body produces tears in an attempt to flush out these irritants. If your eyes are bothered by an allergen, antihistamine eye drops or an oral antihistamine medication could provide relief. Eye drops are designed to reduce allergic reactions on the eye’s surface, relieving symptoms like redness, itching, and tearing. Oral antihistamines are useful for more systemic allergy symptoms, which can also reduce eye-related discomfort. If the tearing persists, you may need stronger recommendations from your doctor.

Use a Humidifier

Dry indoor air, whether it’s due to air conditioning in the summer or heating systems in the winter, can contribute to dry eyes and cause excessive watering. With a cool mist humidifier, you can add moisture to the air, helping maintain a healthier balance of humidity in your home and reducing the strain on your eyes. Keep the humidifier in the room where you spend the most time, like your bedroom or living area, to maximize its effects.

Combining the use of a humidifier with other lifestyle changes—like taking regular breaks from screens, wearing wraparound glasses in windy or dry conditions, and drinking plenty of water—can often provide noticeable relief. 

Warm Compresses

You can purchase an eye compress to help relieve eye blockage issues or make your own warm compress by wetting a washcloth with warm water. Apply the warm compress to your eyelids for five to ten minutes. Doing this several times a day can help ease irritations and clear blockages. Gently massaging the eyes while using a warm compress can also help encourage tear flow. As a bonus, warm compresses can also help relieve any pain or irritation you may be feeling from continued watery eyes.

When to See an Eye Doctor

If your condition changes drastically or persists after home treatment, consult your doctor to discuss the next steps. Some symptoms that accompany watery eyes can be a warning sign of a more serious eye condition. If you're experiencing reduced vision or visual changes, pain around the eyes, or persistent foreign body sensation,  get immediate medical attention.