Eye Discharge

What is eye discharge?

Eye discharge is the gunk that your eye sheds to clean itself. Your eye washes itself constantly, using a combination of tears and mucus. Normally, you blink away this discharge during the day. During the night, eye gunk might build up at the edges of your eyes because you weren’t blinking. This is normal.

But you might have excessive or unusual eye discharge if your eye is irritated or inflamed. This could be a sign of infection, allergies, dry eyes or other issues. Abnormal eye discharge is different from “sleep” in your eyes or watery eyes. If it’s abnormal, the texture, color or amount of discharge is unusual for you.

What’s the difference between normal vs. abnormal eye discharge?

Normal eye discharge is debris trapped in your eye mucus. Your conjunctiva, the clear membrane that covers the white of your eye, produces mucus to help lubricate your eye and carry debris away. When eye mucus traps debris, it can make “eye boogers,” the same way mucus makes boogers in your nose.

You might think of normal eye discharge as:

• Eye goop.
• Eye gunk.
• Eye boogers.
• “Sleep” in your eyes.

Abnormal eye discharge is more abundant and more noticeable than normal eye discharge. It looks or feels like your eye is working hard to clean itself. It might seem watery but leave a crusty residue that sticks your eyelids together. Or it might be sticky, or have an unusual color, like yellow or green.

Abnormal eye discharge includes:

• Green eye discharge.
• Yellow eye discharge.
• Excessive eye discharge.
• Sticky eye discharge.
• Foamy eye discharge.
• Pus ball at the corner of your eye.

Abnormal eye discharge may also come with other symptoms, like:

• Eye pain.
• Eye itching.
• Red eye.
• Swollen eyelids.
• Eyelid crusting.
• A bump on your eyelid.
• Trouble opening or closing your eye.
• A gritty feeling in your eye.
• Blurred vision.
• Light sensitivity.

What causes eye discharge?

Normal eye discharge is the collection of mucus, tears, old skin cells and environmental debris that your eye routinely clears away. This is always happening, although you might not always notice it. You might see more gunk collected at the edges of your eye if the water from your tear film has evaporated.

Eye discharge is always a cleaning mechanism. But unusual discharge means something about the cleaning job is abnormal. Your eye might be trying to remove something especially irritating. If you have an eye infection, your immune system might be sending white blood cells to remove it, creating pus. 

Causes of abnormal eye discharge

Common causes of abnormal eye discharge include:

Pink eye (conjunctivitis)

Pink eye (conjunctivitis) is inflammation of your conjunctiva, the membrane that lines your inner eyelids and the white part of your eye. When your conjunctiva is inflamed, it makes your eye red (or pink) and triggers excessive discharge. Pink eye discharge may be watery or mucus-like and may leave a crusty residue. Depending on the cause, it might be white, yellow or green. Bacterial infections and viral infections are common causes. Allergens like pollen, dander and dust may also cause pink eye.

Keratitis

Keratitis is inflammation of your cornea, the clear window that covers your iris and pupil. Less common types of infections can cause it, including fungal infections, parasites (acanthamoeba keratitis)and herpes simplex viruses in your eye (ocular herpes). You can also get a bacterial infection from leaving your contacts in too long. Other irritations can also cause keratitis, but infections are more likely to cause discharge. An untreated infection could lead to a corneal ulcer, causing thick pus discharge.

Blepharitis

Blepharitis is inflammation of your eyelids, particularly the undersides and the margins by your eyelashes. It may be related to a skin condition, mites at the margins of your eyelids or a clogged oil gland in your eyelid. Blepharitis makes your eyelids red, swollen and itchy. Your eye produces discharge to clear out the irritants. The discharge might be foamy and white or pus-like and yellow or green. It might make your eyelids stick together when you wake up in the morning or leave a crusty residue.

Stye

A stye is an infected oil gland in your eyelid or eyelash follicle. It usually happens when the oil gland gets clogged and bacteria get trapped inside. It produces a red, painful bump within or on the edge of your eyelid, which may have a head of pus, like a pimple. You may also have yellow pus discharge from your eye. You can often treat a stye at home. But don’t try to pop it — this could spread the infection.

Dacryocystitis

Dacryocystitis is inflammation in your tear duct system. It usually starts with a blockage in your tear duct system, which then traps bacteria inside and causes an infection. The blockage and infection will produce a painful bump on the inside of your eyelid. You may also have watery or sticky eye discharge. Babies can be born with a blockage in their tear duct system. You may notice a bump or discharge.

Dry eye disease

Dry eye disease is a chronic condition that affects the tissue on the surface of your eyes. It happens when your eyes don’t produce enough tears, or they don’t produce enough of the oil that protects your tears from evaporating too fast. Normally, a mixture of water, oil and mucus protects your eyes. If you don’t have enough water or oil in your tears, you’re left with a sticky, stringy mucus residue and discharge.

What should I do about abnormal eye discharge?

Contact an eye care specialist if you have abnormal eye discharge. They’ll want to determine the cause and whether you need treatment. While some conditions may resolve on their own with home care, others might need medicine to go away. Certain infections can be dangerous if they go untreated.

What type of care will I need?

If you have an eye infection, you might need:

• Antibiotics.
• Antifungals.
• Antivirals.
• Antiparasitics.

These come in eye drops or ointments for your eye. They often include medications to treat eye pain.

Other treatments you can give yourself at home include:

• Over-the-counter antihistamines for allergies affecting your eyes.
• Artificial tears to help lubricate your eye.
• Warm and cold compresses to clean and soothe your eyes.
• Removing your contacts more frequently or replacing them with a different brand.

When should I worry about eye discharge?

Eye discharge that seems excessive or has an abnormal texture or color is worth a call to an eye care specialist. You shouldn’t worry yet, but you should find out if you might need medication.

Make sure to call if you’ve had a recent eye injury, or if you have any pain, swelling, redness or vision changes.