Watering Eyes

Watering eyes are common and often get better on their own, but treatment may be needed if the watering affects your daily activities.

Causes of watering eyes

It's normal for your eyes to water in smoky environments or if you're outside in the cold or wind.

An eye injury or something in your eye, such as an eyelash or a piece of grit, can also make your eyes water.

Other causes of watering eyes include:

blocked tear ducts (the small tubes that tears drain into)
an allergy or infection (such as conjunctivitis)
your eyelid drooping away from the eye (ectropion) or other eyelid problems
dry eyes - this can cause your eyes to produce too many tears
Bell's palsy - weakness to one side of the face that is usually temporary
some medicines and cancer treatments

Babies sometimes have watering eyes because their tear ducts have not fully developed. It usually gets better by the time they're a few weeks old.

A pharmacist can help with watering eyes

If you have watering eyes, you can ask a pharmacist about:

what you can do to treat it yourself - such as cleaning and protecting your eyes
what you can buy to help - such as cleaning solutions, eyedrops or allergy medicines
if you need to see an optician or GP

Find a pharmacy

See a GP if:

your eyes keep watering and it's stopping you doing everyday activities
your eyelid is turning inwards or drooping away from your eye
you have any lumps or swellings around your eyes that have not got better with treatment from a pharmacist

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if:

you have any changes to your vision, such as loss of vision
you have severe eye pain

You can call 111 or get help from 111 online.

Treatment for watering eyes

Treatment may not be needed if your watering eyes are not causing problems.

If treatment is needed, it will depend on what the cause is.

For example:

eye drops, gels, ointments or sprays can help if your eyes are dry
antibiotic eye drops can help if you have an eye infection
medicines can help if you have an allergy
anything in your eye, like a piece of grit, can be removed
a small operation may be needed if you have a problem with your eyelids or you have blocked tear ducts

If the GP cannot find what's causing your eyes to water, they may refer you to an eye specialist (ophthalmologist) for tests.

Sexual Health Advice

Throughout this series we have help and advice on staying healthy, dealing with Sexually Transmitted Infections, the risks of each type of the most popular gay sex and what to do if the sex you have is not consentual. The topics covered in this series include:

	This item was in brought to you association with NHS website. Follow the links above for more information and don't forget to check out OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health which features items on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. This week our topic is: L - Lung Cancer.
Photos: OutUK and LightFieldStudios.