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Eye discharge is a product of your eye cleaning itself. Some eye gunk is normal, especially in the morning. But having a lot of eye discharge can be a sign of inflammation or infection. Notice if your eye discharge has an unusual color or texture, or if you have other symptoms with it.
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.
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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:
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:
Abnormal eye discharge may also come with other symptoms, like:
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.
Common causes of abnormal eye discharge include:
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 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 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.
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 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 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.
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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.
If you have an eye infection, you might need:
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:
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.
Your eye is always cleaning itself, and some discharge is normal. But if you have a lot of gunk or goo, or if the discharge looks different than usual, you might feel that something is wrong. It’s a good idea to check with a healthcare provider. Eye discharge can be a sign that your eye is working to recover from an infection or irritation. Sometimes, this process resolves on its own, but sometimes, it needs a little help from an eye care specialist.
Last reviewed on 04/24/2024.
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Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy