About 5% of infants are born with a blockage in the tear draining system in the eyelid. Tears are produced in the lacrimal gland above the eye. They drain across the eye to keep it moist, and then go through a small hole in the corner of the eyelid called a punctum. They then drain into the nose. That’s why your nose runs when you cry. If there is a blockage in this system, the eye waters constantly. Those tears can easily get infected causing mucous discharge. Most children with a blocked tear duct spontaneously improve with growth. If symptoms persist beyond a certain age, a simple surgery can be completed to open the blocked system.
Dr. Morrison has extensively studied this condition and wrote the policy statement for the American Academy of Ophthalmology for best treatment practices.
Office- or Facility-Based Probing for Congenital Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction: A Report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Morrison DG, Binenbaum G, Chang MY, Heidary G, Trivedi RH, Galvin JA, Pineles SL. Ophthalmology. 2021;128(6):920-7.
Peterson DB, Chandler DB, Repka MX, Beck RB, Crouch ER, Lee KA, Melia M, Morrison DG, Faruk HO, Ticho BH. Resolution of congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction with nonsurgical management. Arch Ophthalmol. 2012;130:730-4.
Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group, Repka MX, Melia BM, Beck RW, Atkinson CS, Chandler DL, Holmes JM, Khammar A, Morrison D, Quinn GE, Silbert DI, Ticho BH, Wallace DK, Weakley DR. Primary treatment of nasolacrimal duct obstruction with nasolacrimal duct intubation in children younger than 4 years of age. J AAPOS. 2008;12(5):445-50.
