Your eyes water - ALL THE TIME - yet when you last had them examined by your eye doctor, you were told you have dry eyes. How can that be possible if all they do is water? Sounds kind of backwards, right? Well...let me explain why having very watery eyes is actually a sign of dry eye disease.
A healthy eye has a perfect balance of tears that rest on its surface. Your tears are made up of three different layers, each layer produced by a different type of gland. When one of these glands isn’t working as it should, this offsets your normal tear balance and dry spots on your cornea can result. In response, your brain triggers the development of tears to try and cover these dry spots in a process called reflex tearing (the same kind of tearing that happens when you cry). So, although your eyes are very watery, the main reason this is happening in the first place is because they are dry!
Healthy tears are important. They help keep bacteria out of your eye, they properly nourish your cornea, and they allow vision to stay clear.
If you are experiencing watery and irritated eyes, you may have dry eye syndrome. For a proper diagnosis and treatment plan, come see us! We are here to help!