Why Are My Eyes Watery? 14 Things That Can Make Your Eyes Water

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

• Allergies
• Pinkeye (Conjunctivitis)
• Blocked Tear Ducts
• Dry Eyes
• Eyelid Problems
• Bumps on the Eyelids
• Ingrown Eyelashes
• Problems With Your Cornea
• More

If you have watery eyes, there are several possible reasons. They range from allergies to infections, blocked tear ducts, and funny looking eyelids. So grab a box of tissue, dab your eyes, and find out why your tears runneth over.

Millions of people have allergies, but many ignore how this affects their eyes. Exposure to pollen, pet dander, mites, and fumes can cause your eyes to turn red, itchy, and watery.

For relief, try over-the-counter medications like eye drops and antihistamines. If they don’t help, you may want to visit a doctor for prescription-strength medicines or allergy shots.

If your eyes look pink or red along with all those extra tears, you may have pinkeye, a kind of inflammation. Other signs are blurry vision, pus or mucus in the eye, and red inner eyelids.

If you think you might have it, see a doctor right away. Your treatment will depend on whether the cause is bacteria, a virus, or allergies. Also, be sure to keep your hands away from your eyes, and wash them with lid scrubs or warm soapy water before and after you apply medicine. Don’t share towels, washcloths, or anything else that touches your eyes.

Your eye has a miniature plumbing system that makes tears, then washes them across your eye and down a duct into your nose. When the duct gets narrow or blocked, the tears back up and your eyes get watery and irritated or infected. Signs include mucus, crusty eyelashes, blurred vision, and pus or blood in your tears.

If your eyes are watery, leaky, and always irritated or infected, see a doctor. The doctor may flush the duct with saline, then insert tiny balloons or tubes to open up the blockages. You might need surgery to build a new drain.

They get irritated. Your immune system can respond by making too many tears. You may also have stinging, burning, redness, and vision problems. If the symptoms don’t go away, it’s time to talk to your doctor.

If you have a mild case, artificial tears often help. You can also take prescription drugs to relieve inflammation or help create tears. Other options include inserts that act like artificial tear glands or a combination of light therapy and eye massage.

Eyelids are part of your eyes’ drainage system. If one of yours sags or turns outward, tears won’t drain the way they should and your eyes can get watery. If it grows inward, it rubs against your eye and irritates it. Other problems may include redness, mucus, dryness, and sensitivity to light.

If your lids sag or droop, or if your eyes are always watery or irritated, your doctor can help. They might prescribe artificial tears and ointments, but most people need surgery to fix the problem.

Doctors have more nonsurgical options for ingrown eyelids, like soft contacts that protect your eye. Botox and skin tape can also prevent your eye from turning in.

If you notice a large bump on your eyelid, you may have a stye or a chalazion. Styes are usually painful and bigger. Chalazions rarely hurt.

To treat an eyelid bump, soak a clean washcloth in hot water and hold it to your eyelid for 10-15 minutes. Do this 3 to 5 times a day. You may also gently massage around a chalazion with a clean finger.

If that doesn’t help, your doctor might prescribe antibiotics or a steroid shot to ease the swelling of a chalazion. If the bump won’t go away, or if it affects your vision, the doctor may drain it. Don’t ever try to pop one yourself; it can turn into an infection and you’ll probably just make things worse.

When your eyelashes grow inward, they rub against your eye. This irritates it and causes extra tears. Your doctor might pull out an ingrown lash or suggest surgery to remove the lash permanently. If you don’t get treatment, you could get more serious problems like cornea scratches and ulcers.

They can range from minor scratches to open sores called ulcers. Corneas can also get inflamed, a condition called keratitis. Each of these can cause your tears to work overtime.

If your cornea is scratched, you’ll know. Your eye will be extra watery, painful, and highly sensitive to light. When you close it, it might feel like there’s something in it. To treat it, rinse your eye with saline solution, blink several times, or pull your upper eyelid over your lower eyelid. Any of these steps may wash out the object that’s causing you problems. But see a doctor to avoid an infection.

For ulcers and keratitis, see a doctor right away. Delays may damage your eyesight or cause blindness. Your doctor will likely begin treatment with antibacterial, antiviral, or antifungal eye drops followed by anti-inflammatory drops. If your eye is hard to treat, you may need a corneal transplant to save your vision.

If you use extended-wear contact lenses or don’t take them out at night, you have a higher chance of getting keratitis. The best way to prevent this is to properly disinfect the lenses and make sure not to wear them for too long.

Less common causes of watery eyes include:

• Bell’s palsy, a nerve condition that weakens your face muscles
• Eye injuries
• Exposure to chemicals and fumes
• Inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis
• Facial surgery
• Certain medications

While there could be many reasons why your eyes are watery, they all share similar symptoms. That makes getting the right diagnosis so important. Visiting a doctor will help you figure out what’s causing your excess tears and the best ways to treat them.

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Why Are My Eyes Watery? 14 Things That Can Make Your Eyes Water

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

• Allergies
• Pinkeye (Conjunctivitis)
• Blocked Tear Ducts
• Dry Eyes
• Eyelid Problems
• Bumps on the Eyelids
• Ingrown Eyelashes
• Problems With Your Cornea
• More

If you have watery eyes, there are several possible reasons. They range from allergies to infections, blocked tear ducts, and funny looking eyelids. So grab a box of tissue, dab your eyes, and find out why your tears runneth over.

Millions of people have allergies, but many ignore how this affects their eyes. Exposure to pollen, pet dander, mites, and fumes can cause your eyes to turn red, itchy, and watery.

For relief, try over-the-counter medications like eye drops and antihistamines. If they don’t help, you may want to visit a doctor for prescription-strength medicines or allergy shots.

If your eyes look pink or red along with all those extra tears, you may have pinkeye, a kind of inflammation. Other signs are blurry vision, pus or mucus in the eye, and red inner eyelids.

If you think you might have it, see a doctor right away. Your treatment will depend on whether the cause is bacteria, a virus, or allergies. Also, be sure to keep your hands away from your eyes, and wash them with lid scrubs or warm soapy water before and after you apply medicine. Don’t share towels, washcloths, or anything else that touches your eyes.

Your eye has a miniature plumbing system that makes tears, then washes them across your eye and down a duct into your nose. When the duct gets narrow or blocked, the tears back up and your eyes get watery and irritated or infected. Signs include mucus, crusty eyelashes, blurred vision, and pus or blood in your tears.

If your eyes are watery, leaky, and always irritated or infected, see a doctor. The doctor may flush the duct with saline, then insert tiny balloons or tubes to open up the blockages. You might need surgery to build a new drain.

They get irritated. Your immune system can respond by making too many tears. You may also have stinging, burning, redness, and vision problems. If the symptoms don’t go away, it’s time to talk to your doctor.

If you have a mild case, artificial tears often help. You can also take prescription drugs to relieve inflammation or help create tears. Other options include inserts that act like artificial tear glands or a combination of light therapy and eye massage.

Eyelids are part of your eyes’ drainage system. If one of yours sags or turns outward, tears won’t drain the way they should and your eyes can get watery. If it grows inward, it rubs against your eye and irritates it. Other problems may include redness, mucus, dryness, and sensitivity to light.

If your lids sag or droop, or if your eyes are always watery or irritated, your doctor can help. They might prescribe artificial tears and ointments, but most people need surgery to fix the problem.

Doctors have more nonsurgical options for ingrown eyelids, like soft contacts that protect your eye. Botox and skin tape can also prevent your eye from turning in.

If you notice a large bump on your eyelid, you may have a stye or a chalazion. Styes are usually painful and bigger. Chalazions rarely hurt.

To treat an eyelid bump, soak a clean washcloth in hot water and hold it to your eyelid for 10-15 minutes. Do this 3 to 5 times a day. You may also gently massage around a chalazion with a clean finger.

If that doesn’t help, your doctor might prescribe antibiotics or a steroid shot to ease the swelling of a chalazion. If the bump won’t go away, or if it affects your vision, the doctor may drain it. Don’t ever try to pop one yourself; it can turn into an infection and you’ll probably just make things worse.

When your eyelashes grow inward, they rub against your eye. This irritates it and causes extra tears. Your doctor might pull out an ingrown lash or suggest surgery to remove the lash permanently. If you don’t get treatment, you could get more serious problems like cornea scratches and ulcers.

They can range from minor scratches to open sores called ulcers. Corneas can also get inflamed, a condition called keratitis. Each of these can cause your tears to work overtime.

If your cornea is scratched, you’ll know. Your eye will be extra watery, painful, and highly sensitive to light. When you close it, it might feel like there’s something in it. To treat it, rinse your eye with saline solution, blink several times, or pull your upper eyelid over your lower eyelid. Any of these steps may wash out the object that’s causing you problems. But see a doctor to avoid an infection.

For ulcers and keratitis, see a doctor right away. Delays may damage your eyesight or cause blindness. Your doctor will likely begin treatment with antibacterial, antiviral, or antifungal eye drops followed by anti-inflammatory drops. If your eye is hard to treat, you may need a corneal transplant to save your vision.

If you use extended-wear contact lenses or don’t take them out at night, you have a higher chance of getting keratitis. The best way to prevent this is to properly disinfect the lenses and make sure not to wear them for too long.

Less common causes of watery eyes include:

• Bell’s palsy, a nerve condition that weakens your face muscles
• Eye injuries
• Exposure to chemicals and fumes
• Inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis
• Facial surgery
• Certain medications

While there could be many reasons why your eyes are watery, they all share similar symptoms. That makes getting the right diagnosis so important. Visiting a doctor will help you figure out what’s causing your excess tears and the best ways to treat them.

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Decreased visual acuity: causes of fuzzy, blurry vision, drops for treatment.

From Aimee Rodrigues; reviewed by Brian Chou, OD

Blurred vision refers to a loss of visual acuity that causes objects to appear blurry and blurry.

The main causes of blurred vision are refractive errors – nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism – and presbyopia. However, blurry vision can also be a symptom of a more serious problem, including a potentially sight-threatening eye disease or neurological disorder.

Blurry vision can affect both eyes, but some people experience blurry vision in only one eye.

Blurred vision, in which objects are hard to see and appear “whitish,” is very similar to blurred vision. Blurred vision is usually a symptom of diseases such as cataracts.

Both blurred vision and blurred vision can be symptoms of serious eye disease, especially if they appear suddenly.

To determine if you have blurry vision and what causes it, see an optometrist for a comprehensive eye examination.

NEED AN EYE EXAM? Find an optometrist nearby and make an appointment.

Blurry vision: causes and treatment

Myopia: Symptoms of myopia (nearsightedness) include strabismus, eye strain, headaches, and blurry vision in one or both eyes. Myopia is the most common refractive error, in which objects at a distance appear fuzzy.

Glasses, contact lenses and refractive surgery such as LASIK and PRK are the most common ways to correct myopia.

Hypermetropia: If you have hypermetropia (farsightedness), distant objects appear clear, but your eyes cannot properly focus on near objects—or looking at such objects causes unusual eye strain and fatigue. In the case of severe farsightedness, even distant objects may look fuzzy.

As with myopia, hypermetropia can be corrected with glasses, contact lenses or refractive eye surgery.

Astigmatism: Blurred vision at any distance is often a symptom of astigmatism. Astigmatism is a refractive error and is usually caused by an irregular shape of the cornea.

With astigmatism, light rays do not focus at one point on the retina to form clear vision, regardless of the distance the object is from the eyes.

Astigmatism, like nearsightedness and farsightedness, can be corrected with glasses, contact lenses or refractive surgery.

Presbyopia: If you are in your 40s and begin to notice blurry near vision—for example, when reading a text message, restaurant menu, food label, or other small print—it is most likely due to the onset of presbyopia , a common age-related vision problem.

Although the symptoms of presbyopia are the same as those of hypermetropia (blurred near vision; eye strain when reading), presbyopia is an age-related loss of the ability to focus on nearby objects due to decreased elasticity of the lens of the eye.

Common treatments for presbyopia include progressive lenses, multifocal contact lenses, bifocals, and reading glasses. In addition, there are options for surgical correction of presbyopia, including inlay lenses, presbyLASIK, and conductive keratoplasty.

All glasses designed to correct refractive errors and presbyopia can be enhanced with anti-reflective coatings and photochromic lenses for greater clarity and comfort. For more information, contact your optometrist.

Above is an image of a Jack Russell Terrier with normal vision, and the blurry photo in the middle shows what the dog might look like to a nearsighted person. Below, the image is fuzzy and hazy, as it might be seen by a person with a cataract.

A representation of a Jack Russell Terrier as seen by a person with blurred vision.

An image of a Jack Russell Terrier that is blurry and hazy, showing how a person with a cataract sees it.

Chronic dry eyes: Dry eye syndrome can affect the eyes in many ways, including causing variable, blurry vision. Tear substitutes (lubricating eye drops) can help with this condition, but severe cases of dry eyes may require prescription drugs or punctal obturators to keep the eyes comfortable and healthy and maintain good vision.

Pregnancy: Blurred vision often occurs during pregnancy and is sometimes accompanied by double vision (diplopia). Hormonal changes can change the shape and thickness of the cornea, resulting in blurry vision. In addition, dry eyes are common in pregnant women, which can cause blurry vision.

All vision problems during pregnancy should always be reported to the optometrist you see. Although blurry vision is not always a serious symptom, in some cases it can be an indicator of gestational diabetes or high blood pressure.

Eye migraines or migraine headaches: Usually harmless and temporary, blurred vision, flickering light, halos and zigzag patterns are common symptoms before the onset of an ocular migraine or migraine headache.

Floating flies in the eyes: Vision may be blurred by temporary black dots or floating flies floating in your field of vision. Floaters in the eye usually appear when the gel-like vitreous body of the eye begins to thin with age, allowing microscopic pieces of tissue to float freely in the vitreous inside the eye, creating shadows on the retina.

A sudden burst of floating “flies” in the eyes may indicate a tear or detachment of the retina, and you should immediately contact an optometrist.

Blurred vision after LASIK: Vision may be blurry or blurry immediately after LASIK or any other type of refractive surgery. Visual clarity will usually improve within a few days, but vision may take longer to fully stabilize.

Eye drops and medicines: Some eye drops—especially eye drops that contain preservatives—may cause irritation and blurred vision.

In addition, some medicines, such as allergy pills, can cause side effects such as dry eyes and blurry vision. During a comprehensive eye exam, your optometrist can advise you on whether any of the medications you are taking may be causing blurry vision.

Wearing contact lenses for too long: Wearing disposable contact lenses (and indeed any contact lenses) for a longer period of time than prescribed by the optometrist will cause the proteins and other impurities contained in the tear film to deposit on the lenses . This can result in blurry vision and increase the risk of eye infections.

Blurred vision can be a symptom of a serious eye disease

If you suddenly develop blurry vision in one eye and are in your 60s, you may have a macular hole in your central retina.

Sudden blurry vision can also be a symptom of retinal detachment, eye herpes, or optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve).

Certain eye conditions and conditions, such as those listed below, can cause permanent loss of vision, so it is important to see an optometrist for diagnosis and treatment if you suddenly experience blurry vision.

Cataracts: Changes in vision, such as blurred or blurred vision, and glare and halos around lights at night can be symptoms of cataracts. Untreated cataracts can gradually worsen and lead to loss of vision up to blindness. But replacing the cataract with an artificial lens during cataract surgery is very successful in restoring lost vision.

Glaucoma: Blurred vision or “tunnel vision” may be a symptom of glaucoma. Without treatment, vision will continue to deteriorate and may lead to permanent blindness.

Age-related macular degeneration: Blurry vision and distortion of visual perception, where straight lines appear wavy or interrupted, may be symptoms of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is a leading cause of blindness among the elderly.

Diabetic retinopathy: If you have diabetes, unexplained blurry vision may be due to the onset of diabetic retinopathy, a vision-threatening disease that damages the retina of the eye.

Cardiovascular disease and other systemic diseases: Blurred vision, often associated with double vision, may be a symptom of an emergency such as a stroke or cerebral haemorrhage. It can also be an early sign of multiple sclerosis. If you suddenly develop blurry vision or double vision, contact your optometrist immediately.

Slight blurry vision that comes and goes, may be due to fatigue, eye strain, or overexposure to sunlight.

However, sudden or ongoing changes in vision, such as blurry vision, double vision, tunnel vision, blind spots, halos, or blurred vision, may be signs of a serious eye disease or other health problem.

DO YOU HAVE BLURD VISION? Find an optometrist nearby to determine what is causing blurry vision and what treatment will be most effective.

Page published on Monday, November 16, 2020

A veil before the eyes. Causes and effects

Blurred vision is a common complaint associated with a feeling of loss of clarity of the image, when a person sees everything around as if through a cloudy glass, and objects appear blurry. This symptom indicates a violation in the visual system. The feeling of a veil before the eyes can be both constant and periodic, for example at night. The reasons for the appearance of a veil before the eyes vary, so you should not ignore this symptom, but it is better to consult a doctor for an eye diagnosis.

Symptoms

Usually, blurred vision may be accompanied by additional symptoms, such as:

• Pain in the eyes;
• Increased sensitivity to bright light;
• Decreased visual acuity, predominantly at night;
• Appearance of floaters before the eyes, spots and flies;
• Sudden weakness or numbness of one side of the body.

Reasons for the appearance of a veil before the eyes

1. Refractive vision problems – nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism can cause a feeling of veil before the eyes. This is due to incorrect focusing of the image on the retina. In order to get rid of the veil, you need to pick up glasses or contact lenses for vision correction.
2. Diseases that lead to circulatory disorders, vasospasm, can also lead to a sensation of a veil before the eyes and are usually accompanied by headache and general weakness throughout the body.
3. Dry eye syndrome. As the cornea dries up, vision may appear to be blurred. The veil does not cover the eyes all the time, but only under certain conditions, for example, when overtired or working at a computer for a long time.
4. Cataracts can also cause veiling, especially in the elderly, because cataracts are clouding of the lens. To get rid of the veil before the eyes in the case of cataracts is possible only through a surgical operation to replace the lens.
5. The sensation of a veil before the eyes in glaucoma is associated with an increase in intraocular pressure and requires immediate treatment by an ophthalmologist.
6. Optic neuritis is an inflammation of the optic nerve that results in decreased vision and also blurred vision.

A retinal detachment can also be a possible cause of the veil sensation. This condition requires urgent treatment.

A side effect of some drugs can also be blurred vision.

These drugs include:

• antidepressants;
• oral contraceptives;
• anticholinergic drugs;
• corticosteroid preparations;
• drugs used to control blood pressure.

Treatment of diseases that cause a feeling of a veil before the eyes.

The choice of method and methods of treating the veil before the eyes directly depends on the cause that caused the appearance of this symptom. That is why the key to successful treatment of patients with such complaints is timely and high-quality diagnostics using modern equipment by experienced ophthalmologists.