What Causes Watery Eyes?
There are a number of reasons our eyes could be watering. You may be wondering, why is it just my right eye that’s watering? Or why won’t just one of my eyes stop watering? One common reason for an eye that constantly tears up could be a lack of oil in the Basal tear film. Read on to learn about this underlying cause of a watering eye.
Meibomian Glands Keep our Eyes Lubricated
The oil, called meibum, is secreted from the meibomian glands in the top and bottom eyelid. The meibum rises to the surface of the tear film and leaves a protective coating over the nutrient-rich aqueous layer, thus preventing evaporation.
Over Watering Eye to Re-Lubricate
Sometimes when our eyes are extremely dry, they will produce an excessive amount of tears to make up for the dryness. The eye will try to relubricate itself if it’s too dry. Though you only may be experiencing the symptoms of a watering eye, this could just be your body’s response, and you should try to get to the underlying cause of the dryness.
Dry Spots on the Cornea
Without this protective coating, the aqueous layer evaporates, leaving dry spots on the cornea. These dry spots may feel like there is something in the eye. The brain receives this signal of irritation and floods the eye with plain water tears to rinse out the “foreign body”, causing the eye to feel wet and drippy.
Unfortunately, this does nothing to fix the original problem, the lack of oil in the basal tear film.
Do your Eyes Feel Wet & Drippy?
If you are experiencing an excessively watery eye, you may want to get it checked out. There could be an underlying cause of your watering eyes that may need attention, or you may have something stuck in your eye, like a piece of debris causing irritation. Schedule an appointment with our eye specialists to determine if treatment could help.
