The first and most obvious answer is that after enucleation the whole inside of the socket is mucus membrane, similar to the inside of your nose. In addition, an artificial as smooth as it may be, is not as wet and soft to the lids as a natural eye. Plastic or glass is not a water loving material, and it takes a combination of tears, mucus and oil from your tear layer to cause the surface of the artificial eye to become wet. As you wear a ocular prosthesis, it can dry out because of low humidity or air condition, which in turn requires the socket to produce more tears to lubricate the prosthesis surface. As this increase in tear flow takes place, sometimes the tears will spill out onto the cheek.
Many patients find eye drops helpful on dry days and it is a good idea to have some on hand.
Most of these unique symptoms are normal for an anophthalmic socket. However, if the tears become green or dark yellow in color, you should seek medical advice from your ophthalmologist or family doctor.