Why Do Your Eyes Water When You Yawn?

It doesn’t happen for everyone, but many people experience watery eyes after an especially big yawn. But why? What’s going on in the eye that causes those errant drops to fall?

Dry your eyes and read on to find the cause.

Two things are happening. The first pertains to the lacrimal glands—the glands above the outer part of the eye that produce tears and eye moisture. During a yawn – especially a powerful yawn where you finding yourself shutting your eyes – the lacrimal gland gets squeezed, pushing out a bit of extra moisture in the form of a tear. At the same time, the area of the eye called the lacrimal puncta, where excess tears drain out of eye, gets temporarily closed off.

This causes there to be no way out for the water in your eyes but to drip out as a tear. And there you have it—your eyes water when you yawn because squeezing your eyes shut for a moment pushes out a tear.

Is This Normal?

Yes, you have nothing to worry about if you find this happening. It has nothing to do with emotion; it is purely physiological.

Do You Have Watery Eyes Often?

Outside of yawning, watery eyes can be caused by over-secretion of the tear ducts, either due to irritation on the eyes or inflammation of the eye itself. Or, just like with yawning, if your tear drainage channel (the puncta) is blocked or too narrow, the excess moisture won’t drain as it should. To treat overly watery eyes, try eye drops. This will moisten the eyes so your tear ducts won’t have to work overtime.

Or you can always contact us at Infinite Eye Care for more guidance!