Watery eyes during a windy day are one thing. Eyes that seem to water constantly, blur your vision, or leave you reaching for a tissue all day are another. Blocked tear ducts can prevent tears from draining normally, which causes other issues. At Eyelid Pros, we discover why it’s happening, which is the first step toward getting the right treatment.
Why Do Blocked Tear Ducts Cause Constant Watery Eyes?
Blocked tear ducts prevent tears from draining normally through the tear drainage system, causing them to collect and overflow onto your eyelids or cheeks. Along with persistent watery eyes, a blockage also causes irritation, redness, swelling, blurred vision, discharge, and recurring infections. The severity typcially depends on its cause.
Constant tearing can be annoying, but it tells you something about the health of your tear drainage system. Here are some of the signs worth paying attention to:
- Persistent Eye Watering: If it feels like your eyes are tearing up even when you’re not crying, poor drainage could be the reason. Instead of draining toward the nose normally, excess tears can spill over the eyelids and onto your cheeks.
- Eye Redness and Irritation: Tears sitting where they shouldn’t can leave your eyes feeling irritated or looking red. When that irritation keeps coming back instead of clearing up, it’s worth finding out what’s behind it.
- Blurred Vision: Constant tearing can leave a layer of excess moisture across the eye that makes vision temporarily blurry. That can turn something that sounds minor into a frustrating problem while reading, driving, or looking at a screen.
- Swelling and Discharge: A blocked drainage system can sometimes lead to swelling near the inner corner of the eye, mucus discharge, or infection. These symptoms deserve professional attention rather than simply waiting for the watering to stop on its own.
At Eyelid Pros, our board-certified oculoplastic surgeons perform comprehensive diagnostic evaluations to identify the underlying cause of chronic tearing and eye irritation. We’re located at 29201 Telegraph Road near the I-696 corridor. Call (248) 796-7277, contact us online, or book an appointment for an evaluation!
What Treatments Help With Blocked Tear Ducts and Watery Eyes?
Treatment for blocked tear ducts depends on the location, cause, and severity of the blockage. After evaluating your symptoms and tear drainage, your specialist may discuss options ranging from medication or other conservative care to procedures that open or bypass the blocked duct, including dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) when appropriate.
There isn’t one treatment that makes sense for every watery eye. Here’s what your specialist may consider when deciding how to get your tears draining properly again:
Tear Duct Evaluation
First comes figuring out where the problem actually is. Our specialist evaluates your symptoms and tear drainage to determine the degree of blockage before recommending treatment. The board-certified oculoplastic surgeons at Eyelid Pros use specialized lacrimal irrigation and probing techniques to map your tear duct anatomy. This means you’ll receive an accurate diagnosis, preventing unnecessary treatments while establishing a clear path toward permanent symptom relief.
Conservative Treatment
Not every blocked tear duct automatically means surgery. Depending on the cause and your individual situation, treatment can include conservative approaches or medication, particularly when infection or inflammation is involved. Our oculoplastic surgical specialists carefully monitor your response to targeted antibiotic eye drops, warm compress therapy, or specialized lacrimal sac massage. Patients benefit from effective, non-invasive clearance of minor blockages, reducing painful swelling and chronic eye watering without surgical downtime.
Tear Duct Procedures
Some blockages require a procedure to improve drainage. Your options can include probing and irrigation, stenting, balloon dilation, or other approaches. Our surgeons perform minimally invasive lacrimal balloon dilation and silicone stent placement to gently expand and restore narrow drainage channels. Following recovery, patients typically experience normal tear flow and a reduction in eye irritation, crusting, and recurrent infections.
DCR Surgery
For certain patients, we might recommend a dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR). This procedure creates a new pathway for yoru tears to drain toward your nose. Our specialized team at Eyelid Pros performs advanced endoscopic or external DCR surgery to bypass severe lacrimal obstructions. Once healed, you’ll experience a permanent end to chronic tearing (epiphora) and painful infections so you have clear, comfortable vision.
Get Answers About Your Blocked Tear Ducts in Southfield
Constantly wiping watery eyes gets old fast, especially when you don’t know why it keeps happening. At Eyelid Pros, we’ll conduct a professional evaluation on your blocked tear duct or drainage issue behind your symptoms.
You’ll find us right off the I-696 corridor on Telegraph Road. This makes our Southfield office an easy, convenient drive from anywhere in Southfield, Lathrup Village, and other Oakland County communities.
Are you ready for our board-certified oculoplastic surgeons to provide the help you need with your blocked tear ducts? Call (248) 796-7277, contact us online, or book an appointment for an evaluation!
