How to effectively diagnose and treat watery eye

HOW TO EFFECTIVELY DIAGNOSE AND TREAT WATERY EYE There are many things that can go wrong with your eyes, and if you do not have eye problems examined and treated immediately, the repercussions can be disastrous – meaning you might lose your sight! Eye infections are prevalent in humans and can be readily treated with eye drops or even medicine, while other issues necessitate more care and, in some cases, a different (surgical) approach.

If you want to maintain your vision, it is important to keep your eyes healthy and, in some instances, especially in severe eye conditions, it may be necessary for an optometrist to surgically correct the problem. One such problem is watery eyes due to a blocked tear duct.

What is watery eye disease and what causes it?

Watery eye disease can be caused by a variety of factors, but in most patients, they are caused by the tear drainage system and by an imbalance between the number of tears generated by the tear gland and the amount that can be eliminated by evaporation.

Tears may not be drained into the nose due to narrowing of the drainage canals or problems with the eyelids. Some people's eyes moisten excessively as a result of more than one factor. Even individuals with dry eyes may experience watery eye, because of reflex tearing as the eye tries to maintain its wetness.

A blocked tear duct, for example, can cause watery eye. Tears are constantly produced and drawn into a little punctum in the inner corner of your eyelid.

There is one in both the upper and lower eyelid. The punctum connects to tubes called canaliculi, which drain into the tear sac or lacrimal.

The nasolacrimal duct drains into your nose from the sac, which is located between the corner of your eye and your nose. When the nasolacrimal duct becomes obstructed, the eye feels moist and occasionally sticky. Some patients experience mild swelling of the tear sac near the inner corner of the eye, while others get recurring painful infections, such as a boil or abscess.

Tears that are produced in excess, such as when crying, runs down your face because the regular tear drainage system does not have much spare capacity.

However, with age, the narrow drainage channel narrows even further, especially if there has been a previous nose or sinus disease.

What is the best treatment for watery eye?

One of the best treatments to correct watery eye is dacryocystorhinostomy. This is a surgical procedure that provides a new channel for tears to drain between your eyes and nose. If your tear duct has been blocked, you may require this procedure. The treatment can be done externally through a skin incision or endoscopically through the nose with no skin incision, and regardless of which one you opt for, both are equally effective.

A consultant oculoplastic surgeon can perform do the operation, after first examining the tear duct to identify if there is an obstruction and what the cause may be. During surgery, your oculoplastic surgeon will make a passageway from the lacrimal sac to the nasal cavity. The surgeon will create a small incision in your skin, near your nose and beneath your eye. The surgeon next makes a small aperture in the bone beneath, which connects your lacrimal sac and nasal cavity, through this incision. Finally, the surgeon will insert a tiny tube to assist in keeping the new tear duct open.

An endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy, on the other hand, is less intrusive and is typically performed by both an eye surgeon and an ENT or eye-nose and throat surgeon, who collaborate to bypass the tear duct through the nasal cavity, by constructing a new opening directly from the lacrimal sac.

Both of these treatments are used to address the symptoms of a blocked tear duct, and if you have a watery eye disease, you may require surgery.

About us Pari Shams is a cosmetic and functional eyelid surgeon that specialises in the management of eyelid, lacrimal and orbital disorders. Surgical procedures are performed at a variety of medical facilities including their practice at Moorfields Private Outpatient Centre, the Phoenix Hospital Group Outpatient Centre, The Harley Street Clinic, and Weymouth Street Hospital. Dr Shams believes in personalised healthcare where decisions are made with the patient, based on their needs and desires and she makes sure that every patient receives the care and attention that is required at every stage of their treatment. Whether you would like to have functional or cosmetic eye surgery, Dr Shams is qualified to advise you of the best surgical, or non-surgical options that will achieve the most natural and desirable aesthetic outcome, without compromising your eye function. Find out more about Pari Shams on her website at https://www.parishams.com