Have your tears ever made your eyes feel like they were burning? There are several reasons why your eyes might be irritated when you cry. While it’s normal for tears to sometimes burn your eyes, frequent burning or irritation could be a sign of a chronic eye condition.
Dry air, irritants, and sweat can cause a burning sensation. However, persistent irritation might be a sign of eye concerns like dry eye, blepharitis, photokeratitis, or pink eye.
What Are Tears?
Tears aren’t just made out of water. The way that your eyes produce tears is a complex process. Each type of tear has a specific chemical recipe and a different process to trigger their production.
How Are Tears Made?
The tear system (also called the Lacrimal Apparatus) is responsible for making, retaining, moving, and draining tears. The first step in tear production happens in the tear glands, which sit above your eyes. Here, water and salt are mixed to create the main body of a tear.
Meanwhile, the meibomian glands in your eyelids create oils that will be mixed with the salty water from the tear glands. Together these two glands make up the main components of tear production, but your eyes also drain old tears away.
There are openings in the corners of your eyes called lacrimal puncta. When you blink, old tears are forced down through the lacrimal puncta and away from the eyes. The old tears are then collected in a small area called the lacrimal sacs. Then, these old tears are drained away from your eyes through the tear ducts.
Types of Tears
There are three basic kinds of tears, and our bodies use each type for a different purpose.
- Basal tears: Your body uses basal tears to protect the surface of your eyes. These tears keep germs and foreign objects from directly touching your eyes. Basal tears also provide the surface of your eyes with nutrients throughout the day.
- Reflex tears: These tears protect your eyes from things like dust, smoke, foreign bodies, or onion fumes that your eye may be exposed to. Reflex tears may contain more antibodies than basal tears to fight bacteria from irritants.
- Emotional tears: When you cry because you are happy, sad, or in pain, these are emotional tears. While these tears don’t do anything to protect your eyes, they are powerful social and psychological signals to you and those around you.
What Are Tears Made Of?
All tears have three layers: mucus, water, and oil. However, the chemical makeup of each tear will vary slightly based on the type of tear that is being produced. These different recipes mean that each tear type will be very good at the job it is made to do.
The layer closest to the eye is made from mucus, which helps keep the tear on the eye’s surface. The middle layer is the water layer, keeping the eye hydrated and protecting the cornea from damage. The outer layer is an oily layer, which keeps the tears from evaporating. The oil layer also smooths the tears so you can see through them.
Tears contain other ingredients like salts, electrolytes, antibodies, and hormones. Basal tears are made with nutrients that nourish the eye’s surface. Reflexive tears, made to protect the eyes, contain higher levels of antibodies than other tears so they can fight off bacteria. Emotional tears contain stress hormones, which is part of why you might feel relieved after you cry.
What Causes Tears to Burn Your Eyes
Both environmental factors and medical factors can irritate your eyes and cause a burning or itching sensation.
Environmental Factors
Environmental factors are things around you that may be causing your tears to burn your eyes. If your eyes are irritated, then tears can exacerbate irritation, leading to a burning sensation. Some things that can cause eye irritation include dry air, smoke, allergens, dust, and chemicals.
Sweat can also cause a burning sensation. If you are sweating heavily, sweat may drip into your eyes. The chemical makeup of sweat can cause a burning sensation in your eyes. If the sweat carries traces of sunscreen or makeup, it may further irritate your eyes.
Medical conditions
If your tears burn your eyes frequently or if they cause pain and lasting discomfort, it’s important to consult your eye doctor. Other symptoms like redness and inflammation may be signs of eye condition or disease.
Some eye concerns that may be causing your tears to burn include:
- Dry eye: Dysfunctional tear production leads to dry, irritated eyes.
- Blepharitis: The eyelid is chronically irritated and swollen.
- Photokeratitis: Also known as an eye sunburn, this can cause burning and irritation.
- Conjunctivitis: Inflammation of the conjunctiva can cause a burning sensation.
Find the Source of Your Burning Tears
If your tears consistently burn your eyes, the first step to identifying the root cause is booking an eye exam. Your optometrist can help find and treat the source of the problem.
Total Vision Del Mar offers treatments for medical causes of burning tears like dry eye and blepharitis. Our professional staff want to help you meet your eye care needs. Contact us to book your comprehensive eye exam today!
