Watery eyes occur when your body makes more tears than you lose through evaporation or drainage. Watery eyes or excess tearing may happen naturally in response to emotions or to cold, windy weather.
Persistent watery eyes can have many causes, including allergies and infections. A blocked tear duct is a common cause of watery eyes. Complications from dry eyes or eye irritation can trigger the release of a large amount of tears in an attempt to lubricate your eyes.
Occasionally, the duct may be occluded as a consequence of a facial trauma with the nasal bones involved or a surgical procedure in the nose (rhino-septoplasty, turbinectomy, etc).
A medical consult with a specialist in lacrimal surgery (usually an ophthalmologist with a sub-specialty training in oculoplastic surgery) is required to establish the appropriate diagnosis and rule out other conditions.
Normally, after a routine evaluation of the eye and ocular surface, a simple lacrimal siringing is the most reliable test to establish the diagnosis. A standard nasal exam is routinely performed by the oculoplastic specialist. Radiological exams are not required in the vast majority of cases.
Once the diagnosis of PANDO (Primary Acquired Naso-lacrimal Duct Obstruction) is established, the final treatment is a surgical procedure called dacryocystorhinostomy and can be performed through an external approach (a small skin incision over the lateral part of the nose that leaves invisible scar) or though and endonasal endoscopic approach.