• Animation
• Normal tears
• Main causes of watery eyes
  • Too many tears
  • Poorly spreading tears
  • Blocked naso-lacrimal duct: the commonest cause
  • functional block ('pump failure')
• DCR Operation
• Older people or no operation
• Infection of the tear sac
• Less common causes of watery eyes
  • Blocked canaliculus
  • Droopy lower lid (ectropian)
  • In the nose
  • Irritation

An explanation of the common causes of watery eyes, and related problems.

Tears are made in a gland under the skin above the eye. They flow over the front surface of the eye, and drain into tiny tear ducts in the eyelids, near the nose (under the skin).

Then they flow into a tear ‘sac’, and from there they pass through a wide channel, the ‘naso-lacrimal duct’ into the inside of the nose. See Animation.

Causes often occur in combination

• something irritating your eyes, such as an allergy
• thyroid eye disease (this is an unusual cause)
• dry eyes (by making the eyes sore and causing reflex watering)
• blepharitis ...inflamed eyelids

If your tears are too thin and do not spread evenly across the eye dry patches may develop on the surface of the eye.
These dry patches make the eye feel sore and then your eyes may start to water. This is usually due to a type of conjunctivitis, and is often due to the drugs you are taking (such as anti-ulcer drugs, anti-hypertensives, anti-depressants). This is discussed on the blepharitis page.

Using artificial tears can help make the eye feel a lot more comfortable; the artificial tears may spread more evenly, and you can buy them from the chemist. See 'dry eye'. Gel type of artificial tears are generally best to try first.

Surprisingly, if your eyes are ‘dry’ you may notice watery eyes: your eyes become sore and this makes your eye make more tears. But these tears may not spread properly, and dry patches develop on the surface of the eyes (as below).

• a watery eye
• infections of the tear sac (called ‘acute dacrocystitis’)

The tear duct apparatus may block at any point along the tear passage, but the commonest place for a blockage is just below the tear sac. The cause of this blockage is not usually known.

The treatment that the doctor will recommend depends on how much the wartery eye bothers you, and whether you find it very uncomfortable, or just a nuisance in the wind.

This may be due to problems such as reduced blinking or weak muscles in the eyelids. This is called pump failure. It is treated in the same way: if the watery eyes are very bothersome and you are young and fit, DCR surgery as below may help.

If you are not really bothered, then surgery is best avoided.

If you are young or middle aged, and your eyes water and are uncomfortable much of the time, an operation can be helpful. Such patients whould notice watery eyes at least 10 times a day.

This operation generally requires a general anaesthetic and an overnight stay in hospital. This is a ‘DCR’ operation, which translates into ’making a channel from the tear sac into the nose’.

A cut on the skin is made over the tear sac, and then a small hole is made in the bone between the tear sac and the nose. Next the surgeon connects the tear sac to the inside of the nose, and closes the cut in the skin. The skin scar fades and is usually nearly invisibleafter six months.

There are other types of operation, such as using balloons that can be blown up to expand the blocked tear duct. These may not be quite as successful, and are only available in a few hospitals. Alternatively the DCR operation can be carried out by using special instruments 'up the nose'.

If you are older (e.g. 70 years old) this operation is not generally recommended unless you have developed infections of the tear sac, as below.

Even if you are younger, if your watery eye is not really bothersome, you may prefer to manage as you are without having an operation. You may notice a small lump under the skin: the swollen tear sac.

Unless there is an infection, you hardly feel the lump at all.
These is no harm in having watery eyes.

A few people with a blocked tear duct can develop an infection in the tear sac. This is quite uncomfortable, just like an abscess anywhere else in the body.

It is called ‘acute dacrocystitis’. This begins as a blocked tear duct and watery eye. The tears then get trapped in the tear sac, and stagnate.

The stale tears may then become prone to infections.If you develop an infection in the tear sac,  like any other abscess under the skin, you need treatment, as below.

1. Bathe the ‘abscess’ with a hot flannel four times a day.
2. See your GP for antibiotics (such as co-amoxyclav if you are not allergic to penicillin).
3. If the abscess is rather severe you need to attend an Eye Emergency Department: sometimes the abscess needs draining.

After the attack of dacrocystitis and all the infection has gone, the tears ducts may be open.

However, the infection may damage the tear drainage, and the eyes may be watery. In this case a DCR operation is necessary after you have had acute dacrocystitis. The operation is carried out when the infection has been treated.

Anyone with more than one episode of infection needs a DCR operation unless there are contraindications (they are ill etc).

Blockages may develop in the canaliculi. More sophisticated surgery is needed.

Sometimes the entrance to the canaliculi can block.

The blockage can often be opened with a small operation.

Uncommon causes of watery eyes include conditions inside the nose, such as polyps.

In-growing eyelashes or anything that irritates the eye. In-growing lashes need to be removed, although they may grow in again.

Grit or sand under the eyelid cause too many tears.

Your eyes may water if anything irritates them. A small scratch, a piece of grit under the upper eyelid, eye drops for glaucoma (‘Propine’ especially) are common causes of irritation.

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