Tearing
Tears are needed to keep the eye’s front surface healthy and to maintain clear vision. It is
common to temporarily produce excess tears when you are emotional, laughing, coughing,
vomiting, experiencing strong taste sensations, or yawning.
Types of Tears
Different types of tearing consist of basal tears, emotional tears, and reflex tears. Basal tears are your basic functional tears. They are released in tiny amounts to lubricate your ocular surface and keep it clear of any dust. These are vital for good vision and comfort. Emotional tears are triggered by strong feelings such as joy or sadness. Reflex tears result from irritation in the eye by foreign bodies, or from the presence of irritant substances in the environment. They can also occur with bright lights hot or peppery stimuli to the tongue and mouth, when we yawn, cough or even vomit. These types of tears are released in larger amounts than basal tears. Their goal is to protect one’s eye.
How can I have Dry Eyes if my eyes are so watery?
The two common causes of watery eyes are blocked tears ducts and excessive production of tears. The common cause of excessive production of tears is dry eye syndrome. This occurs due to the glands around our lid margins not producing enough oil resulting the tears drying up very quick. This lack of lubrication results in our eyes producing an abundance of tears to compensate.
