What are the types of tear duct blockages?
Tear duct blockage is a condition where tears are prevented from draining into the nasal cavity. There are two main types: congenital and acquired. Congenital blockages result from structural abnormalities present from birth, while acquired blockages can occur due to factors such as trauma, infection, or aging.Types of congenital tear duct blockages:
Congenital tear duct blockages are structural abnormalities in infants that prevent tears from draining normally into the nasal cavity.How are congenital tear duct blockages treated?
The treatment for congenital tear duct blockages involves massage and antibiotic eye drops in the first year of life. If massage is not effective, surgical treatment is applied.Probing is a procedure to open the blocked portion of the tear duct.
Surgical silicone tube intubation involves temporarily placing a tube to keep the tear duct open, either after probing or in older children.
Types of acquired tear duct blockages:
Acquired tear duct blockages can result from factors such as trauma, infection, aging, or other complications of eye surgery. These blockages are typically more common in adults.How are acquired tear duct blockages treated?
The treatment of acquired tear duct blockages aims to reopen or repair the drainage system. Surgical procedures such as endoscopic and external dacryocystorhinostomy (DSR) are among these treatment methods.Endoscopic DSR provides minimally invasive reopening of the tear duct, and it is a sutureless surgery.
External DSR is a surgical procedure performed externally.