Teary Eyes Specialist

What causes teary eyes?

Teary eyes, also known as watery eyes, occur when you produce an overabundance of tears, and they overwhelm your tear ducts. This can happen for a variety of different reasons, most common among them:

• Dry eye
• Allergies
• Hay fever (allergic rhinitis)
• Eyelid inflammation (blepharitis)
• Corneal inflammation (keratitis)
• The common cold and sinus issues
• Blocked tear duct
• Tear duct infection
• A foreign object in your tear duct
• Pink eye (conjunctivitis)
• Corneal abrasion
  
  

You can also develop teary eyes from certain medications, such as eye drops, epinephrine, and chemotherapy drugs.

When should you see a doctor for your teary eyes?

Sometimes, teary eyes clear up on their own, but other times, they don’t. Consider reaching out to Suburban Eye Care if your teary eyes are excessive or prolonged, or accompanied by:

• An eye injury or scratch
• A severe headache
• Pain around the eyes
• Bleeding or discharge coming from the eye
• A foreign object stuck in your eye
• Tenderness around your sinuses or nose
• Unexplained bruising around the eyes
• Eye redness, itchiness, or pain
• Chemical exposure

If you’re suffering from chronic watery eyes, Suburban Eye Associates can help you pinpoint the source of your tears through a variety of tests, including allergy testing.

How do you treat teary eyes?

Depending on the source and severity of your teary eyes, Suburban Eye Associates can offer you a variety of teary eye treatments, including eye drops, allergy medication, and procedures like:

Balloon DCR 

Balloon DCR (dacryocystorhinostomy) is a type of surgery that corrects teary eyes caused by blocked tear ducts by creating an alternative passageway between the nose and the tear duct sack. 

During a balloon DCR, your team uses an endoscope camera to guide a thin wire with a deflated balloon attached to it into the puncta, which is the hole in the corner of your eye from which tears drain. They carefully thread the wire through your blocked tear duct, then gently inflate the balloon with liquid.

As the balloon inflates, it puts pressure on the blockage and forces it to open up. Once your team has reopened your tear duct, they deflate the balloon and guide it and the wire out.

Balloon DCR is minimally-invasive, requires no incisions, and leaves no scarring.

Punctal plugs

Punctal plugs are tiny, biocompatible devices that treat the symptoms of dry eye, including teary eyes. Just the size of a grain of rice, your provider places punctal plugs in your puncta, where they stop tears from draining out of your eye. 

Punctal plugs compensate for your low or low-quality tear production. They keep enough tears inside for your eye’s surface to remain lubricated, comfortable, and free from aggravations like itching, burning, and chronic watering.

If you’re bothered by chronic or painful teary eyes, find out what’s causing it and get it treated with the expert team at Suburban Eye Associates. Schedule a visit by calling the office today.