Dr Brent Gaskin, Our oculoplastic surgeon serves Melbourne so you don’t need to suffer from drooping eyelids or incessantly watering eyes any longer

Watery Eyes

The medical term for this is epiphora, the overflow of tears from the eye not due to an emotional response such as crying. Many people will experience unexpected watery eyes at more than one point in their life, often due to a temporary irritation such as allergy or a foreign body flying into the eye. For some patients, constant tearing or watering from one or both eyes can be a source of significant annoyance or embarrassment.

Some cases of epiphora are in fact due to dry eye. As the surface of the eye dries and becomes exposed to the environment, this triggers a reflex to produce tears from the lacrimal gland. An overproduction of tears can lead to the eye feeling watery.

In other cases, an overflow of tears can be a result of poor eyelid position. The inner corners of the top and bottom eyelids contain tiny holes known as puncta, through which tears drain from the surface of the eye. If the eyelids are not appropriately positioned against the surface of the eye, the tears often are unable to access the puncta and instead overflow down the face.

Epiphora may also arise from a blockage or narrowing somewhere along the nasolacrimal system, which refers to the series of anatomical structures involved in the drainage of tears from the surface of the eye to the nasal cavity. The site of narrowing may occur at the level of the puncta, or further down, such as the nasolacrimal duct.

Cases of watery eye from poor eyelid position or nasolacrimal system blockage can be addressed by oculoplastic surgery. Melbourne and surrounding suburbs are welcome to come under the care of our oculoplastics specialist for cases of epiphora.