Do 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 backward, right? Well, let me explain why having very watery eyes is actually a sign of dry eye disease (otherwise known as dry eye syndrome).

In the video below, Dr. Jackie Garlich discusses the most common reasons why her patient’s eyes water.

If you don’t like the video or want more information, continue reading.

The 3 layers of your tears

A healthy eye has a perfect balance of tears that rest on the surface of the eye. Your tears are made up of three different layers (see image above). Each layer is produced by different types of glands.

When one or more of these glands are working as they should, this offsets your normal tear balance and dry spots on your cornea can result. Looking at the image below, the dry spots that are staining with the yellow die are actually areas of disease on your cornea.

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In response, your brain triggers the development of tears to try and cover these dry spots. This process is called reflex tearing and is the same kind of tearing that happens when you cry. But please don’t cry unless they’re tears of joy! 😉

Therefore, although your eyes are very watery, the main reason this is happening in the first place is that they’re very dry!

Note: You could also have a number of other conditions but dry eye is by far the most common cause.

Overall, healthy tears are important! They help keep bacteria away and properly nourish your cornea so that your vision stays clear. However, tearing up too much is something that can get pretty annoying and needs to be discussed with your eye doctor.

If you’re experiencing watery, irritated eyes, you may have dry eye disease! For a proper diagnosis and treatment plan, talk to your local eye care professional today.

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