Stop Watery Eyes

Watery eyes can be very irritating. Watery eyes can be caused by many things--from allergies to bacterial infections. Regardless of what is bothering your eyes, there are several things you can do to stop them from watering. Common remedies include washing your eyes, using eye drops, and using a warm compress. You can also get help from your doctor, who may be able to diagnose the problem and offer a treatment that will help. There are also some things that you can do to prevent watery eyes, such as wearing goggles, wearing sunglasses, and wearing your own makeup.

Steps

Using Common Remedies

1. Make sure that you do not have a foreign object in your eye. If you have something stuck in your eye, it may be causing that eye to water. Do not try to pull a foreign object out of your eye with your fingers or tweezers. To remove a foreign object from your eye, you will need to wash your eye.
   • To wash your eye, use clean hands to hold your eye open under a gentle stream of lukewarm running water. You can also do this in the shower by allowing the water to hit your forehead and holding your eye open as the water runs down your face. Or, you can wash your eye with an eyewash station or an eyecup.
   • Don’t rub your eyes if you think you have something stuck in them. Rubbing your eyes when you have a particles stuck in them may cause damage to your eye.
2. Use eye drops or "artificial tears." It may sound counterintuitive to use artificial tears for watery eyes, but you can actually use eye drops to stop watery eyes. Eye drops work well when your eyes are watering because of excessive dryness. Eye drops will help to moisten and lubricate the eyes, which will lead to a decreased production of tears. To use eye drops:
   • Extend your head back and pull down your lower lid. Hold the eye drop bottle an inch or two away from your eyes. Do not allow the bottle tip to touch your eyes.
   • Apply three drops (or as many as your doctor prescribes) to your eyes by squeezing the bottle and letting one drop hit your eye at a time. Use artificial tears every four hours or as needed.
3. Remove your contact lenses. If your eyes just won’t seem to stop watering, try removing your contact lenses. Contacts can make watery eyes worse while also potentially preventing eye drops from working. Talk to your ophthalmologist if you think your contacts might be to blame for your watery eyes.
   • Follow your eye doctor’s instructions for keeping your contact lenses clean. If you use disposable contact lenses, never wear them more than once. Always dispose of them after use.
   • Never sleep with your contact lenses in unless your eye doctor says it is okay.
   • Avoid wearing your contact lenses when swimming or showering.
4. Make an eye compress to soothe irritated eyes. Warm compresses help to remove crust from the eyes while also working to loosen up any toxins that might be blocking your tear ducts. They also help to reduce the redness and irritation that often comes with watery eyes. Run a washcloth under warm to hot water, squeeze out the excess water, and then lay the washcloth across your eyes. Lie down and keep the cloth there for five to 10 minutes.

Getting Help from Your Doctor

1. Talk to your doctor about antihistamine for watery eyes caused by allergies. Sometimes watery eyes are caused by an allergic reaction. Taking an antihistamine, or allergy pill, can help to reduce the eye irritation caused by allergies. Just keep in mind that if your watery eyes are not caused by allergies, then the antihistamine might not do anything to help. Talk to your doctor if you are unsure about whether your watery eyes are the result of allergies.
   • The most common antihistamine drug is the capsule form of diphenhydramine, which is taken orally. For adults, 25 to 50 milligram of diphenhydramine should be taken every four to six hours. If it causes gastric irritation, you can take it with milk or food.
   • A major side effect of antihistamines is drowsiness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery while taking antihistamines.
2. Ask your doctor about antibiotics. If you go to see a doctor about your watery eyes, she may prescribe an antibiotic if she suspects that you have an infection. For example, bacterial infections respond well to antibiotics; however, if your watery eye is caused by a virus, the doctor might not prescribe any medication and will ask you to wait for a week to see whether the condition improves or not.
   • The most common antibiotic prescribed for watery eyes is tobramycin. Tobramycin is an antibacterial eye drop drug specifically made for eye infection. Use as directed by your doctor. Usually this means you apply one drop of tobramycin on the affected eye twice a day for seven days — once in the morning and once in the evening before going to sleep.
3. Consider the medications you are taking. Some medications can cause watery eyes as a side effect. Check the labels of your prescription medications and ask your doctor if you are not sure. If watery eyes is a lasting side effect of a medication you are taking, talk to your doctor about the possibility of switching to something else. Do not stop taking your medication without consulting your doctor first. Some common types of medicine that may cause watery eyes include:
   • Epinephrine
   • Chemotherapy drugs
   • Cholinergic agonists
   • Some eye drops, such as echothiophate iodide and pilocarpine
4. Discuss other possibilities with your doctor. There are a wide variety of medical conditions that can cause watery eyes. If you have not been able to determine the cause of your watery eyes, ask for help from your doctor. Some of the conditions that may be causing your watery eyes include:
   • Blepharitis (inflamed eyelids)
   • Blocked Tear Duct
   • Common Cold
   • Ingrown Eyelashes
   • Pink Eye
5. Discuss procedures with your eye doctor. If you are having frequent problems with watery eyes due to plugged tear ducts, you may need to have an irrigation, intubation, or surgical procedure to clear the blockage. These options would only be required if other methods of clearing the blockage did not work and/or your watery eyes are chronic.
   • Punctal dilation. If tears cannot properly drain through the tear duct openings, punctal dilation may be done. The ophthalmologist will apply local anesthesia on the affected eye. An instrument will be used to widen the opening of the tear duct so that the tears can drain properly through it.
   • Stenting or intubation. In this procedure, the doctor threads a piece of thin tubing through one or both of your tear ducts. The tubing widens the opening of your tear ducts, which makes it easier for tears to drain. The tubes are left in for about three months. This procedure may be performed under local or general anesthesia.
   • Dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR). DCR is a surgical procedure that may be required if a less invasive method does not work. DCR creates a new channel for tears to drain through. The surgeon uses the existing tear sac in your nose to create the channel. DCR requires the patient to be placed under local or general anesthesia.

Protecting Your Eyes

1. Wear goggles to keep foreign objects out of your eyes. Make sure that you wear goggles or other protective eyewear when working with chemicals, power tools, or around lots of airborne particulates, such as sawdust. These materials can become lodged in your eyes and cause your eyes to water. Wearing goggles will also help protect your eyes from large or small objects that might hit you in the eye and cause damage.
2. Wear sunglasses. Sunglasses shield your eyes from harsh UV rays that can cause your eyes to water. Sunglasses can also act as a shield against particles and other debris that gets swept up by the wind and could potentially blow into your eyes.
   • Before putting on your sunglasses, make sure that you wipe off any dust that might have collected on them.
3. Use your own eye makeup and other eye products. One of the easiest way to pick up another person’s bacterial or viral eye infection is by sharing products like makeup, eye drops, or washcloths with them. Because of this, it is best to avoid sharing any product or item that has touched another person’s eyes.

Tips

• Take care when disposing of tissues or washing cloths you have used to wipe your eyes. If you have a bacterial or viral infection, you can spread the infection to someone else if they come in contact with your tissue or washcloth.
• Avoid activities that require good vision, like driving, until your eyes stop watering. Having watery eyes can make vision-oriented activities difficult or even dangerous.

Warnings

• If your watery eyes persist, see a doctor. You may have a viral or bacterial infection.

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Sources and Citations

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