Science Questions

Why do eyes sometimes get watery?

My eyes often become watery for no apparent reason. Why do you think this is? Margie in Milford

When you go out in the wind, it's a stimulus to tear production. Tears are quite useful because they keep the cornea, that's the front of the eye, moist. They keep the eye smooth and functional. But if you go out on a windy day, often you produce a few too many tears and they fill up the whole conjunctival sac and so you're looking through water. So I suspect that it's that: different conditions will bring it on.

October 2006