Why Do My Eyes Burn and Water at the Same Time?

Vaugn Schneider
Jul 15
2 min read

It seems contradictory: your eyes feel dry and burn like they’re parched, but they’re also constantly watering—especially outside in the wind or while driving. How can your eyes be both dry and wet?

At Eyes on the Lake in Milwaukee, Dr. Vaugn Schneider explains this puzzling symptom to patients all the time. The answer lies in a tear film imbalance and a phenomenon called reflex tearing.

What Is Reflex Tearing?

When your eyes get too dry or irritated, your brain sends a signal to flood them with tears. But these aren’t the high-quality, lubricating tears your eyes need. They’re mostly water, and they evaporate quickly.

This overproduction of watery tears is called reflex tearing, and it’s your body’s way of overcompensating for dryness or surface inflammation.

So while your eyes may look like they’re producing enough tears, they’re not the right type of tears.

Common Triggers for Burning and Watering

Windy or Cold Weather: Accelerates tear evaporation.
Digital Screens: You blink less, leading to tear film disruption.
Blocked Oil Glands (MGD): When meibomian glands don’t produce enough oil, the watery part of your tears evaporates too fast.
Allergens or Inflammation: These irritants can prompt both dryness and reflex tearing.

What You Might Be Feeling

Burning or stinging sensations
Excessive tearing in windy conditions
A gritty feeling or urge to blink often
Tearing that doesn't actually make your eyes feel better

These are all classic signs of dry eye disease, especially when combined with meibomian gland dysfunction.

How Dr. Schneider Can Help

At Eyes on the Lake, we take a full-spectrum approach to diagnosing and treating your tear film issues:

Advanced Imaging to evaluate your meibomian glands
IPL Therapy to reduce inflammation and restore tear stability
BlephEx Treatment to clean the lids and improve gland function
Lifestyle Coaching to reduce environmental and digital strain triggers

Dr. Schneider also helps you identify dietary and hormonal contributors to tear film instability—something over-the-counter drops can’t fix.

Burning + Watering = Treat the Root Cause

The solution to your problem isn’t drying out your tears—it’s improving their quality. When your tear film is restored, the burning and watering cycle breaks.