What is lacrimal duct stenosis?
Lacrimal duct stenosis is a permanent narrowing of the lacrimal duct. This can be seen in excessively watery eyes and frequent inflammation of the eye. It is often noticeable in newborns that they wake up in the morning with encrusted eyes and watery eyes, although they do not cry out.
This is because directly after birth, the tear ducts are often not yet fully developed, so that constrictions in the tear duct can occur more often. It is also possible that babies still have a small protective skin on the entrance of the tear duct, which makes it impossible for the tears to drain. All this usually improves during the first year of life and usually does not require surgery.
Nevertheless, parents should discuss the problems with their pediatrician and get advice on how to get relief at home with massages and warm compresses. By the way, if you have purulent inflammation, you should see your doctor as soon as possible so that you can be treated early and the inflammation does not spread. In adults, in some cases the tear ducts become narrower with age.
Other reasons can be adhesions due to multiple inflammations or small stones that obstruct the passage. A tumor, chemotherapy or radiation can also narrow the tear ducts. In this case, a clarification by the doctor is also recommended.
Inflammation of the lacrimal duct – What is behind it?
If germs get into the eye or the tears cannot drain off due to a narrowing of the tear duct, an inflammation of the tear duct can easily occur. The typical symptoms are a reddened, watery eye with itching, swelling and pain. A general feeling of illness with fever can also occur.
An inflammation of the lacrimal duct can be acute or chronic, but in both cases you should consult a doctor in time. Acute may require antibiotic therapy with eye drops or in tablet form. Cooling compresses are helpful.
In the case of chronic inflammation, which is usually accompanied by milder symptoms, the main focus is on eliminating the cause. This may require irrigation or X-ray examinations of the lacrimal duct. In order to prevent inflammation, for example, one should only look at the eye with washed hands and as rarely as possible. Cosmetic utensils such as mascara and eyeliner should be changed regularly and not shared with other people. Anyone who uses contact lenses should make sure that they are cleaned as recommended by the retailer and that they do not exceed the prescribed period of use.
