Anything that gets in the way of your day can be a nuisance, including having tears constantly gathering in your eyes or worse yet, streaming down your face. If you're dealing with tears on a regular basis but aren't crying, there's likely something medical to blame. Here's what you should know about chronically teary eyes.
Blocked Tear Ducts
One of the most common causes behind this problem is blocked tear ducts. Tear ducts are sometimes misunderstood as the things that produce tears, but that's actually not true. Instead, tear ducts act as a drainage system to get rid of excess tears.
If you've ever had a runny nose develop while you're crying, your tear ducts are why. When your eyes produce too many tears, the tear ducts allow the excess to flow down through your sinuses and into your throat. However, if these tear ducts are blocked, regular eye lubrication may result in tears overflowing and dripping out of your eyes.
Allergies
Another possibility is that you're experiencing an allergy that's causing your eyes to tear up. The eyes usually have this reaction after histamines are released in the body. In essence, your body may be trying to wash away any sort of allergens that have gathered on the surface of the eye or the eyelids. When allergies become severe enough, this can result in the tears overflowing.
Irritant
Another similar possibility is that there's an irritant that's bothering your eyes. This is more common for a short-term problem with your eyes tearing up, but if the issue isn't addressed, it can become a long-term one.
In essence, if a foreign body gets onto the surface of your eyes, like a speck of dust, dirt, or a tiny shard of plastic from a contact lens, or glass, it can make your eyes tear up. Again, the body is trying to flush the thing out. However, this isn't always successful, especially if the irritant is stuck under your eyelid.
The good news is that all three of these conditions can be easily treated with the help of an eye doctor. If your eyes have been tearing up for a while now and aren't showing any signs of improvement, it's time to get medical attention. Visit an eye care doctor and find out what's causing your teary eyes once and for all, so don't put off getting the help that you need.
For more information, reach out to a company like Battery Park Vision Associates.