Everyone, whether they're an emotional sort or not, produce tears regularly. Tears are a necessary part of the functioning of your eyes. But like anything else with the body, if something goes awry, you can end up with odd symptoms. When it comes to the eyes, if you've noticed that you seem to have tears leaking out of the corners of your eyes or are downright crying without any emotional component, it's possible that something has gone wrong with your eyes. Here's what you should know.

What Tears are There For

Tears are often associated with crying – having an emotional response. However, that's not the only thing that tears are utilized for.

Tears help to keep the eyes hydrated day and night, whether you're awake or not. They're produced and wash over the surface of the eye, especially when you blink or have your eyes closed. They're also helpful in washing away dust and unwanted debris from the surface of the eyes. A lack of tears can cause problems, but it's possible to have an excess of tears as well.

Why It May Be Overflowing

When your body produces tears, after they wash over the surface of the eye, they typically drain away through the tear ducts in the corner of your eyes. However, tear ducts don't always work as expected. When a tear duct becomes blocked or swollen, it can prevent tears from draining away. The body doesn't stop making fresh tears, though, so the old ones have to go somewhere. This can lead to an overflow of sorts, with tears dripping out of your eyes even when you don't feel sad or aren't having any symptoms that could cause it, like allergies.

What to Do

For most people, having blocked tear ducts is a nuisance, but not life or vision-threatening. That being said, it can make your eyes less effective at clearing themselves of debris, and it can be embarrassing to be crying and constantly wiping away tears for no apparent reason. The best thing you can do to resolve this issue is to visit with an eye doctor.

Eye doctors specialize in the treatment of the eyes as well as the surrounding areas and surfaces. Your eye doctor will examine your tear ducts to determine if there's a partial or full blockage. If there is, they can either treat it with medication to bring down inflammation and swelling, or by manually clearing out the tear duct to flush away any blockages. In either case, you'll start to experience relief right away.

Eye health isn't something that you should put on a back burner, even if it seems like the problem you're going through isn't a big deal. Keep your eyes healthy so that they can continue to serve you for years to come.

For more information contact an eye doctor in your area.