I would say that 90% of the time runny/watery eyes are caused by clogged up oil glands in the upper and lower eyelids. The next most common cause is ocular allergies. We all have about 30 small oil glands in our upper and lower eyelids. These glands line the lid margin where the eyelid meets the eyeball. Their sole purpose is to secrete a clear thin layer of oil all day long that coats your tears. The oil keeps the water on the eye. If the oil glands become clogged up your tears will run off your eye down your cheek. Which is extremely annoying and it affects the quality of your vision. There are several ways to fix this problem. The best and cheapest way is to apply hot compresses to the eyelids twice a day for about a month. The heat from the compress will melt the clabbered up oils in these glands and it will also dilate the small glands thus allowing the clear oils to flow more freely. It takes a while to get all the glands unclogged and flowing again. Therefore you need to be diligent about performing these hot compresses twice a day for at least a month. Then about three times a week for the rest of your life. As this is a chronic problem. Meaning it will come back if you stop cold turkey. Performing hot compresses is easy. When you get up in the morning and use the restroom, wash your hands and turn the hot water on in the sink. Get it as hot as you can stand it and soak a clean washcloth in it. Then fold the rag into thirds lengthways and press it over both of your closed eyes. Rotate the rag to keep the heat on your eyelids for at least a minute preferably two minutes. Then take the cloth and wipe your eyelids clean. Done. Do it again before you go to bed. If this treatment doesn’t stop the water from running off your eyelids there are antibiotics that I can prescribe to help the cause.
Another cause of runny eyes is ocular allergies. There is an eye drop you can buy over the counter called Zaditor. It is an antihistamine eye drop that used to be by prescription only and cost $120. Now it’s OTC and costs about $13. Put a drop in your eyes twice a day for at least 3 months. It is an older drug and sometimes is not effective. If it does not work there are much better antihistamines that I can prescribe but they cost a lot more. Never hesitate to come in and let me evaluate your problem and fix it for you.