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lachrymal Ducts

What Are Tear Ducts?
Our eyes are continually exposed to dust, bacteria, viruses, and other objects that could cause damage. The eyelids and eyelashes play a key role in preventing these objects from entering our eyes and hurting them. But besides serving as barriers, the lids and lashes also help our eyes stay moist. Without moisture, our corneas, which serve as protective domes for the front of the eyes, would dry out and could become cloudy or injured.

Working with our lids and lashes, the protective system of glands and ducts called the lacrimal system keeps our eyes from drying out. Small glands at the edge of the eyelid produce an oily film that mixes with the liquid part of our tears and keeps them from evaporating. Lacrimal (or tear-producing) glands secrete the watery part of tears. These glands are located under the brow bone behind the upper eyelid, at the edge of the eye socket, and in the lids.

Eyelids move tears across the eyes. Tears keep the eyes lubricated and clean and contain antibodies that protect the eyes from infection. They drain out of the eyes through two ducts called punctum or lacrimal ducts, one on each of the upper and lower lids. From these ducts, tears enter small tubes called canaliculi, which are located at the inner corner of the eyelids. They pass from the eyes into the lacrimal sac, a small sac that's located next to the inner corner of the eyes (between the eyes and the nose).

From the lacrimal sacs, tears move down through the nasolacrimal duct and drain into the back of the nose. (That's why you usually get a runny nose when you cry - your eyes are producing excess tears, and your nose can't handle the additional flow.) When you blink, the motion forces the lacrimal sacs to compress, squeezing tears out of them, away from the eyes, and into the nasolacrimal duct.

The nasolacrimal duct and the lacrimal ducts are also known as tear ducts. However, it's the nasolacrimal duct that's involved in tear-duct blockage.

What Causes a Blocked Tear Duct?
Many children are born without a fully developed nasolacrimal duct. This is called congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction or dacryostenosis. Most commonly, an infant is born with a duct that is more narrow than usual and therefore does not drain properly or becomes blocked easily. The majority of children outgrow this condition by the time they are 1 year old.

Less often, a child has a web of tissue over the end of the duct that didn't dissolve during fetal development. This condition is more likely to require surgical probing.

Other causes of blockage in children (especially older children) are rare. Some children have nasal polyps, which are cysts or growths of extra tissue in the nose at the end of the tear duct. A blockage also can be caused by a tumor in the nose, but again, this is unusual in children.

Trauma to the eye area or an eye injury that lacerates (cuts through) the tear ducts could also cause this condition, but reconstructive surgery at the time of the accident or injury may prevent blockage from happening.

Signs of Blocked Tear Ducts
Children with blocked tear ducts usually develop symptoms of the condition between birth and 12 weeks of age, although you may not realize your child has this problem until his or her eyes become infected. The most common signs of blocked tear ducts are excessive tearing, even when a child is not crying (this is called epiphora). You also may notice pus in the corner of your child's eye, or that your child wakes up with a crust over the eyelid or in the eyelashes.

Children with blocked tear ducts can develop an infection in their lacrimal sac called dacryocystitis. Signs of this infection include redness at the inner corner of the eye and a slight tenderness and swelling or bump at the side of the nose.

Another sign that the tear ducts may be blocked can be present at birth or soon after. Some infants are born with a swollen lacrimal sac, causing a blue bump called a dacryocystocele to appear next to the inside corner of the eye.


Source:http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/system/surgical/tear_duct_o...
 
  PANKAJ VARMA on 2006-11-25
This is just a forum. Assume posts are not from medical professionals.
Swelling of Lachrymal Duct....you can think of Silicea..... as a possible solution to the problem.

Pankaj Varma
 
PANKAJ VARMA last decade
Homeopathic approach – Only eyes should not be blamed for tearing problem since there are lots of other factors influencing tears. So, in all the cases of overflow, the cause should be analysed first and treated accordingly. If it is due to irritants or foreign substance, the irritating substance should be first rooted out.

If the over secretion is due to allergic reactions, then tendency for allergy should be treated than dilating the ducts. Without treating the cause, suppressing the allergic tendency with anti-histamine drugs will work for that day only and it is not at all the right treatment for overflowing tears. If the tendency to allergy is rooted out, then overflowing tears can be cured once and for all. Homeopathy provides it without any side-effects.

The objective of taking treatment should be to provide comfort by all means, but not by suppressing Nature. If the cause is due to infective adhesions, or stricture, Homeopathic medicines can address it very well, but in case of congenital lack of opening, surgical correction may be the only way.

Homeopathy gives importance to patients' feeling also, while selecting the drug, i.e., feeling burning pain, tenderness, feeling of air blowing in the eyes, feeling as if there is sand in the eyes, etc. With the most apt drug, Homeopathy can streamline the flow of tears and revert overflowing tears to normalcy without drying up and control infection by enhancing immunity.

Homeopathic medicines commonly used for overflowing tears are Acid nit, Acid flour, Apis mel, Borax, Cal carb, Euphrasia, Graphites, Hepar sulph, Mer cor, Nat mur, Petroleum, Physostigma, Pulsastilla, Rhus tox, Ruta, Silicea, Staphysagria, Sulphur, Thuja, etc. These medicines should be taken under the advice and diagnosis of a qualified Homeopath.

Source:http://www.chennaionline.com/health/Homoeopathy/2006/06homeo...
 
PANKAJ VARMA last decade
Good.

sajjad.
 
sajjadakram635 last decade
Wow its excellent article and wonderful sharing information, i have 22 years old occurred by tears duct last 15 days back tears blocked and what i will do but i am so fearing. Is any thing serious.

While i searching this information i found "Pediatriconcall" site that also good information given me.
 
pedioncall 8 years ago

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