Watery eyes are something most of us experience occasionally. Your eyes may water when you’re outside in cold or windy weather, when something gets in your eye or even when you’re feeling emotional. However, if your eyes are watering regularly or excessively, you may start to wonder whether something else is causing the problem.
There are many potential causes of watery eyes, ranging from allergies and dry eye to problems with the eyelids or tear drainage system. In some cases, you may also experience other symptoms such as redness, itching, irritation or blurred vision.
Understanding some of the common reasons your eyes might water can help you recognise when simple changes may help and when it’s worth seeking professional advice.
Why Do Our Eyes Water?
Tears are essential for keeping the surface of your eyes healthy and comfortable.
Every time you blink, tears spread across the eye, helping to keep it lubricated and wash away small particles. Tears normally drain through tiny openings near the inner corners of your eyelids and eventually into your nose.
Your eyes can become excessively watery if they produce more tears than usual or if those tears aren’t draining away effectively.
This means the cause isn’t always as straightforward as your eyes simply producing “too many” tears.
What Causes Watery Eyes?
There are many possible reasons why your eyes might be watering. Some are temporary, while others may need ongoing management or professional assessment.
Common causes can include:
- Dry eyes
- Allergies and hay fever
- Irritation or something getting into the eye
- Blepharitis
- Conjunctivitis
- Contact lens irritation
- Eyelid problems
- Blocked or narrowed tear ducts
- Environmental conditions
The symptoms of different eye problems can overlap, so it’s best not to try to diagnose the cause based on watering alone.
Can Dry Eyes Cause Watery Eyes?
It may sound contradictory, but dry eyes can sometimes cause excessive watering.
When the surface of the eye becomes dry or irritated, your eyes may respond by producing additional tears. These reflex tears can make your eyes noticeably watery without necessarily providing the balanced lubrication they need.
Dry eye can also cause symptoms such as:
- A gritty or sandy sensation
- Soreness
- Redness
- Itching
- Blurred vision
- Sensitivity to light
- Tired or uncomfortable eyes
Dry eye symptoms can be influenced by several factors, including prolonged screen use, contact lenses, heated or air-conditioned environments and certain medications.
If your eyes regularly alternate between feeling dry and becoming watery, it’s worth discussing your symptoms with an optometrist.
Can Allergies Make Your Eyes Water?
Allergies are another common cause of watery eyes.
Hay fever, for example, can cause your eyes to become watery, red and itchy. You may notice that symptoms are worse at certain times of year when particular types of pollen are more prevalent.
Other allergens can include:
- Dust mites
- Animal dander
- Mould
- Certain cosmetics or skincare products
If allergies are responsible, you’re likely to experience other symptoms alongside the watering. Itchy eyes are particularly common, while hay fever may also cause sneezing and a blocked or runny nose.
Try to avoid rubbing your eyes when they’re itchy or watery, as rubbing can make irritation worse.
Why Do My Eyes Water Outside?
If your eyes mainly water when you’re outdoors, environmental conditions could be contributing.
Cold temperatures and windy conditions can irritate the surface of the eyes and cause increased tear production. Bright sunlight may also cause some people to experience watering.
This doesn’t necessarily indicate an underlying eye condition if it only happens occasionally in particular environments.
However, if your eyes are extremely sensitive to outdoor conditions or watering is accompanied by discomfort or changes to your vision, it may be worth arranging an eye examination.
Can Screen Time Cause Watery Eyes?
Spending extended periods looking at a computer, phone or tablet can contribute to eye discomfort.
When concentrating on a screen, we may blink less frequently or less completely. This can affect the tear film covering the surface of the eye and contribute to dry-eye symptoms.
As we’ve already seen, dry eye can sometimes result in reflex watering.
If you spend much of your working day using a screen, simple changes may help, including:
- Taking regular screen breaks
- Remembering to blink fully
- Positioning your monitor comfortably
- Avoiding direct airflow from fans or air conditioning
- Giving your eyes regular opportunities to focus into the distance
Persistent symptoms shouldn’t simply be accepted as an unavoidable consequence of using a computer.
Can Blepharitis Cause Watery Eyes?
Blepharitis is a common condition affecting the edges of the eyelids and can contribute to watery, uncomfortable eyes.
Symptoms can include sore or itchy eyelids, a gritty feeling and flakes or crusts around the eyelashes. The condition can also affect the quality of the tear film and is associated with dry-eye symptoms.
Good eyelid hygiene can be an important part of managing blepharitis, but recurring symptoms are worth discussing with an eye care professional.
An optometrist can examine your eyelids and the surface of your eyes to help determine whether blepharitis or another issue could be contributing to the problem.
Is Conjunctivitis a Cause of Watery Eyes?
Conjunctivitis can also cause watering.
It occurs when the conjunctiva – the thin membrane covering the white part of the eye and the inside of the eyelids – becomes inflamed.
Depending on the cause, symptoms may include:
- Red or bloodshot eyes
- Watering
- Itching
- A gritty or burning sensation
- Discharge
- Eyelashes sticking together
Conjunctivitis can have different causes, including allergies and infections, so the appropriate management will depend on what’s responsible.
If you’re concerned about persistent redness, discharge or irritation, seek professional advice rather than assuming that all cases of conjunctivitis should be treated in the same way.
Can Contact Lenses Make Your Eyes Water?
Contact lenses should feel comfortable when they’re suitable for your eyes and being worn correctly.
However, if a lens becomes uncomfortable, your eyes may start to water. Dryness, debris underneath the lens, problems with lens fit or wearing lenses for longer than recommended can all potentially contribute to discomfort.
If you wear contact lenses and regularly experience watery eyes, redness or irritation, remove the lenses and seek advice if the problem persists.
Your optician can assess your eyes, check the fit of your lenses and discuss whether your current contact lenses and wearing routine remain appropriate.
A painful red eye in a contact lens wearer should be assessed urgently because it can sometimes indicate an eye infection.
Could Something Be Stuck in My Eye?
Sometimes there is a very simple explanation for sudden watering.
An eyelash, dust or another small particle entering the eye can trigger increased tear production as your eye attempts to wash the irritant away.
Avoid repeatedly rubbing the eye, as this can potentially make the irritation worse.
If you think something is stuck in your eye and it doesn’t clear, or you’ve experienced an eye injury, seek professional advice.
What Are Blocked Tear Ducts?
Your eyes don’t just need to produce tears correctly – those tears also need somewhere to go.
Normally, tears drain through small openings in the eyelids and into the tear drainage system. If part of this system becomes narrowed or blocked, tears may instead overflow onto the cheeks.
Tear drainage problems can affect people of different ages, although some causes become more common as we get older.
Persistent watering that doesn’t seem to be associated with irritation, allergies or dry-eye symptoms may therefore warrant further investigation.
Can Eyelid Problems Cause Excessive Watering?
The position and movement of your eyelids play an important role in distributing and draining tears.
Changes to the eyelids can sometimes interfere with this process. For example, if an eyelid turns inward or outward, it may affect the surface of the eye or prevent tears from draining normally.
This can result in watering alongside irritation or discomfort.
An eye examination can help determine whether the eyelids or tear drainage system could be contributing to persistent symptoms.
Why Is Only One Eye Watering?
Watery eyes can affect one or both eyes.
If only one eye is watering, possible causes can still range from irritation and a foreign object to problems with tear drainage or the eyelid.
The fact that only one eye is affected doesn’t necessarily tell you what’s causing the problem.
If watering in one eye persists, particularly without an obvious explanation, it’s sensible to have it assessed.
Why Are My Eyes Watery and Itchy?
When watering occurs alongside itching, allergies are one possible explanation.
Hay fever and other allergic reactions commonly cause eyes to become both itchy and watery. However, itching can also occur with dry eye, blepharitis and other forms of irritation.
Because the symptoms overlap, persistent problems are better assessed professionally rather than diagnosed based on one or two symptoms.
If itching is one of your main concerns, our guide to why your eyes are itchy explores the potential causes in more detail.
Why Are My Eyes Watery and Blurry?
Excessive tears can temporarily interfere with the clarity of your vision, particularly if the tear film across the surface of the eye is unstable.
Dry eye can also cause episodes of blurred vision alongside watering and irritation.
However, there are many potential causes of blurry vision. If you’ve noticed a new, persistent or significant change to your eyesight, don’t assume it’s simply because your eyes are watering.
Arrange an eye examination so the cause can be properly assessed.
When Should I See an Optician About Watery Eyes?
Occasional watering caused by wind, cold weather or minor irritation isn’t usually something to worry about.
However, consider seeking professional advice if your watery eyes:
- Persist for an extended period
- Regularly interfere with everyday activities
- Are accompanied by ongoing redness or irritation
- Are associated with blurred or changing vision
- Occur alongside persistent eyelid problems
- Make wearing contact lenses uncomfortable
- Affect one eye without an obvious explanation
An optometrist can examine your eyes and eyelids and discuss your symptoms to help identify what may be contributing to the problem.
When Do Watery Eyes Need Urgent Attention?
Watering by itself isn’t usually an emergency, but certain symptoms should be assessed promptly.
Seek urgent professional advice if watering is accompanied by symptoms such as:
- Significant eye pain
- Sudden changes to your vision
- Loss of vision
- Severe sensitivity to light
- A very red and painful eye
- An eye injury
- A painful red eye while wearing contact lenses
If you’re unsure how urgently your symptoms need to be assessed, seek medical or optometric advice rather than waiting for them to resolve.
How Are Watery Eyes Treated?
Treatment depends entirely on the underlying cause.
For example, managing dry eye will be different from addressing allergies, blepharitis or a tear drainage problem.
This is why identifying the likely cause is important, particularly when symptoms are persistent.
Depending on the problem, management might involve changes to your environment or screen habits, improved eyelid hygiene, changes to contact lens wear or treatments recommended by an appropriate healthcare professional.
Avoid relying on a treatment simply because it helped somebody else with watery eyes – their symptoms may have a completely different cause.
Looking After Your Eye Health
Changes to how your eyes feel can sometimes be easy to dismiss, particularly when your vision still seems clear.
However, recurring watering, dryness, irritation or redness can affect your comfort and quality of life.
Regular eye examinations give your optometrist an opportunity to assess both your vision and your eye health. They also provide an opportunity to discuss symptoms that may have developed since your previous appointment.
If you can’t remember when you last had your eyes examined, it may also be worth checking whether you’re due for your next routine appointment.
Get Advice About Watery Eyes at Bill Opticians
There are many possible causes of watery eyes, and finding the right solution starts with understanding why your eyes are watering in the first place.
At Bill Opticians, our experienced optometrists provide professional, personalised eye care across our practices in Devon. We can discuss your symptoms, assess your vision and eye health, and advise you on the most appropriate next steps based on what we find.
If your eyes are regularly watery, irritated or uncomfortable, contact your nearest Bill Opticians practice to arrange an appointment.
