Should You Be Worried If One Of Your Eyes Is Leaking Or Tearing Up?
Posted on: 15 July 2020
Having the occasional bit of tears, particularly when facing allergies or irritants that impact your eyes, is a common enough experience for people to go through. But what about when one or both of your eyes seem to tear constantly and even cause your tears to leak down over your face? If this is happening to you, this may be what's going on.
Where Tears Come From
To understand what's happening here, it's important to understand exactly how tears work. Tears are, of course, the body's natural way of removing irritants and dangerous substances from the surface of the eye. They tend to form when people are emotionally upset, but also when experiencing things like being exposed to excessively chlorinated water, allergens, and foreign bodies.
These tears are generated by the tear glands, or lacrimal glands, which are located above the eye, just under the upper eyelid. This allows the tears to wash down over the entire eye.
Where Tears Go
When you cry, tears tend to overflow and come out of your eyes and drip down your face. But this isn't something that should be happening on a regular basis. If it is, it likely means there's an issue with your tear ducts.
The tear ducts are located in the inner corner of your eyes, near your nose. Tear ducts naturally handle excess tears by channelling them away from the eye and down your nasal passageways, which is why you often develop a runny nose while crying. However, if tear ducts become blocked, infected, or inflamed, this process doesn't work properly. In this instance, there's nowhere for the tears to go except to either evaporate off the surface of the eye or to drip off of your eyes onto your face.
What to Do
Typically, this kind of problem goes away on its own in a matter of days. However, if you've been having this issue for a while, it may indicate that it's due to an infection or long-term inflammation. These conditions can be treated by visiting an eye doctor.
Your eye doctor will examine the tear duct to look for blockages, foreign bodies, and signs of inflammation. If they believe that it's infected, antibiotics can be prescribed. If it's inflammation, medicated eye drops may be used to temporarily reduce the inflammation.
While there's nothing inherently wrong with experiencing a few tears, it shouldn't be getting in the way of your daily life. If you're still tearing up on a regular basis, visit an eye care center for help.
Share