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Eye Care Archive (Expert Forum)
Watery Eyes for years now but not due to allergies
Our Ask A Doctor Ophthalmology Forum is where you can post your question and receive a personal answer from physicians affiliated with the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Watery Eyes for years now but not due to allergies
by msyangp, Feb 27, 2007 12:00AM
I'm 23 years old and for a few years now I've gotten these very watery eyes. Most of the time when its watery I'll wipe it and they'll be some green stuff on the tissue.. I know its not allergies because I've done all the allergy ***** test and I'm not allergic to anything.. My eye doctor doesn't seem to know what the problem is.. (I do wear glasses though)
Doctor's Answer
by Forum-OD-MP, Feb 27, 2007 12:00AM
having an allergist do allergy testing and announcing that you 'dont have allergies' doesnt mean anything to me. i see patients every single day with moderate to severe ocular allergy who have been deemed 'allergy-free' by some allergist or GP.
here's the pertinent question: do your eyes 'ITCH'? if they are itchy, then you most likely have ocular allergy, regardless of whether you have been 'diagnosed' as being allergic to something or not. if they do not 'itch', then ocular allergy is probably not an issue. the 'green' is probably mucus.
not too many things cause bilateral chronic 'watery' eyes in an otherwise healthy, non-contact-lens wearing adult. dryness would be the only other real possibility. if you get really dry eyes, your lacrimal gland will respond by producing tears (hence the 'watery').
an eye exam may be warranted to figure this out. but there are some things you can try:
1) go buy an over-the-counter antihistamine (preferably 'zaditor'. use it twice a day for a few days. if the watery subsides, then it was ocular allergy.
2) if that doenst work, try OTC lubricant eye drops/artificial tears like systane. that might work if the watery was caused by dryness.
past that i dont know.
here's the pertinent question: do your eyes 'ITCH'? if they are itchy, then you most likely have ocular allergy, regardless of whether you have been 'diagnosed' as being allergic to something or not. if they do not 'itch', then ocular allergy is probably not an issue. the 'green' is probably mucus.
not too many things cause bilateral chronic 'watery' eyes in an otherwise healthy, non-contact-lens wearing adult. dryness would be the only other real possibility. if you get really dry eyes, your lacrimal gland will respond by producing tears (hence the 'watery').
an eye exam may be warranted to figure this out. but there are some things you can try:
1) go buy an over-the-counter antihistamine (preferably 'zaditor'. use it twice a day for a few days. if the watery subsides, then it was ocular allergy.
2) if that doenst work, try OTC lubricant eye drops/artificial tears like systane. that might work if the watery was caused by dryness.
past that i dont know.
Member Comments (6)
by aimee37, Feb 27, 2007 12:00AM
Is it possible that my tear ducts are cloged and therefore making my eyes watery??
by aimee37, Feb 27, 2007 12:00AM
yes, technically possible. unlikely in an otherwise healthy 20-something year old. REALLY unlikely. plus you said your eye doc was "stumped"...clogged tear ducts would not "stump" most eye docs. that would be obvious.
by aimee37, Feb 27, 2007 12:00AM
thank you this helped a lot..
by aimee37, Feb 28, 2007 12:00AM
It's definitely a long shot, but ocular aniseikonia (a disparity in image size between your eyes) can cause watery eyes. Is the prescription for your glasses very different for each eye?
by aimee37, Mar 01, 2007 12:00AM
My glasses feel perfectly fine.. I feel as though I'm not even wearing glasses...
by aimee37, Apr 01, 2007 12:00AM
You might (if you have already) get your thyroid levels checked. My eyes water by day and swell (the lid area) by night (note in the a.m.). At first , they were thought to be ocular allergies, but my eyes did not itch nor did they respond to antihistamines. A check of the TSH, FT4 and FT3 may be in order to make sure your thyroid is not out of wack. Thyroid eye disease interestingly can be present even with normal thyroid levels, but an antibody (think it is TSH receptor antibody tes) would reveal that is the problem. So something to consider.
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