The tear that moistens your eye flows through a small opening in the corner of your eye. The liquid enters your nose, where your body absorbs and expels it.
A blocked tear duct is a complete or partial obstruction in the nasal passages that drains tears. If you have a blocked tear duct, your eyes may become itchy, irritated, and watery. Another name for a blocked tear duct is nasolacrimal duct obstruction. Lacrimal means tear.
What Are the Symptoms of Tear Duct Occlusion?
- Redness and irritation of the affected eye.
- Mucus or discharge from the eye
- The formation of crusts on the eyelids.
- Eye infections such as conjunctivitis or pink eye
- Blurred vision.
- Pain and swelling in the inner corner of the eye.
How Is Tear Duct Obstruction Treated?
The treatment for tear duct obstruction is surgery. A new passageway is opened between the lacrimal sac and the nasal cavity with surgery. In some cases, a silicone tube placed in the tear duct is removed two months after the surgery in order to prevent this passage from being blocked during recovery. The success rate of this surgery is very high.
a) Congenital tear duct obstruction: Massage is applied for the first 1 year. Massage is applied from the root of the nose in the form of a downward stroke. It is necessary to do this massage movement 3-4, 10 times a day. The probability of spontaneous opening of the channel with massage is around 95%. Antibiotic eye drops are used for burring in the eye. At the end of 1.5 years, if the bleeding does not go away, it means that the canal did not open on its own. Then the probing process called “probing” is done. If the complaint of tearing does not go away after the first probing, probing can be repeated. If the tearing does not go away with probing, dilatation with a balloon catheter and tube intubation can be applied to the patient. If success is not achieved with these treatment methods, dacryocystorhinostomy surgery can be performed on the child in the future.
b) Acquired tear duct obstruction: If it is understood that the cause of the tear duct obstruction is the tear duct obstruction, the treatment is usually surgical. The aim of the treatment is to open a new pathway between the lacrimal sac and the nasal cavity. For this purpose, different surgical techniques can be applied. In some cases where the newly opened canal is likely to be blocked, a silicone tube can be placed in this canal for a temporary stop.