“Tearing is a result of an imbalance between tear production and tear loss. Less commonly, tearing is a result of improper drainage of tears from the roof of the eye as a result of obstruction in the lacrimal drainage apparatus. This could be a result of trauma, scarring, infection, and, in addition to that, just malposition of the eyelid itself, such as if the lid is turning in or turning out. More commonly, tearing is a result of a broad category of diseases called dry eyes – where you have the under production of tears leading to reflexive tearing. This includes conditions such as keratoconjunctivitis sicca, where you have the chronic under production of tears from different diseases and medications. In addition to that, it could be a result of blepharitis, which is chronic inflammation of the eyelid. This results in the paradox of dry eye patients with complaints of excessive tearing.”
Make an appointment with Maria Basile, MD
Maria Basile, MD, is an ophthalmologist specializing in glaucoma at Mount Sinai Doctors, seeing patients Monday-Friday. Trained in New York, she is certified in by the American Board of Ophthalmology and is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Glaucoma Society.
She was awarded her medical degree from SUNY Downstate Medical Center. She completed her residency in Ophthalmology at Maimonides Medical Center and her fellowship in Ophthalmology at The Mount Sinai Hospital. She specializes in small incision cataract surgery, as well as medical, laser, and surgical treatment of glaucoma, including the latest in micro-invasive glaucoma surgery. Dr. Basile is fluent in Spanish and Russian.