What to Know About Excessive Tearing
- Posted on: Oct 15 2017
Tears make you look compassionate, help you demonstrate emotion, and depending on your acting abilities, may even get you out of the occasional speeding ticket. However, if you have started to tear for no rhyme or reason, you may be suffering from an underlying medical condition.
Your tears are what keep your eyes lubricated and prevent them from drying out. They are drained through a complicated pumping mechanism and then flow into a tear drain called the lacrimal duct. Sometimes, the lacrimal duct can get clogged which causes excessive tearing.
What Causes Excessive Tearing?
Excessive tearing can be caused by a variety of issues including:
- Dry eyes
- Blepharitis: This condition typically occurs when the oil glands in the eye become clogged.
- Topical medications: Facial medications such as retinol sometimes exacerbate the tear glands.
- Misdirected eyelashes (entropion)
- Loose or lax eyelids (ectropion)
- Blocked tear ducts
How Is It Treated?
During your initial consultation with Dr. Daniel Tresley, he will perform a basic evaluation to determine the cause of your tearing. Once he has identified the cause, he will then be able to create a customized treatment plan for you. With years of training and experience, Dr. Daniel Tresley can perform minor eyelid repairs to restore normal tear-pump function or to reposition the eyelid. Additionally, he can also perform a Dacryocystorhinostomy or DCR, which creates a new tear drain to bypass the blocked lacrimal duct.
Excessive eye tearing can impact patients who are as little as a few months old to the elderly. Although tears serve their purpose, if they go into overdrive for whatever medical reason, they can cause discomfort, irritation, and just interfere your overall quality of life. If you or one of your loved ones have started to experience excessive tearing, schedule a consultation with our Northbrook office today!
Posted in: Tearing Disorders
