Your Doctor

Dr Deen Md Nurul HuqProfessor and HeadDepartment of OphthalmologyDhaka Medical College Hospital

Dear Doctor,
I am 70 years old and my eyes are constantly tearing. What may cause this? How can I get rid of this problem? Kindly advise me.
Regards
Saiful Islam
Hajigonj, Chandpur.

Answer:
Watery eyes or constant tearing in older adults may have many causes. Normally when you blink, your eyelids move tears across your cornea to the little openings at the inner part of your eyelids (called puncta). Tears enter the puncta and drain through a small tube (called nasolacrimal duct) into your nose.

In case of you, age-related changes may cause your eyelid tissues to relax, which interferes with their normal function in removing tears. If the lid tissues relax too much, the inner part of the lid may not lie flat against the eye surface, which prevents tears from entering the puncta. This condition is called ectropion. Treatment of ectropion may include eye drops, protective eyewear or surgery depending upon the cause and severity of the disease.

Narrowing or partial obstruction of the puncta is another cause of watery eyes. This can often be corrected with a relatively simple procedure done by an ophthalmologist.

Other possible causes of watery eyes include irritation, infection, dry eyes, allergies and blocked tear ducts. To get proper guideline for treatment of watery eyes, consult an ophthalmologist. Doctor can advice you an appropriate treatment by evaluating your eyes.