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Why Do Eyes Cry in the Morning?

Published in Eye Health 1 min read

Eyes often cry in the morning because the body initiates tear production to combat dryness that occurs overnight.

Here's a breakdown of the reasons:

  • Dry Eye Response: During sleep, tear production naturally slows down. Upon waking, your eyes might feel dry. To compensate, your body overproduces aqueous tears, leading to watery eyes. The body is trying to lubricate the dry eye.

  • Corneal Issues: Sometimes, the superficial layer of cells on the cornea (the clear front part of the eye) can experience minor breakdown during sleep. This is most likely if the eyes get particularly dry overnight, or eyelids do not fully close. Upon waking, this can cause discomfort and trigger excessive tearing as the body attempts to heal the irritation.

In summary, morning eye watering is usually a harmless response to overnight dryness or minor irritation and generally resolves quickly.

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