What to do if your child has tear duct obstruction

Generally speaking, it is very normal for children to have this kind of tear duct obstruction, so parents should not worry too much after this happens. They must send their children to the hospital for cleaning in time. The reason why children are prone to this situation is that their organs are still relatively underdeveloped, so when secretions appear, they will still accumulate around the eyes, so a series of reactions will occur. Mothers don’t need to be too anxious. Let me tell you the specific steps below.

Neonatal tear duct obstruction is caused by the fact that the lower end of the nasolacrimal duct of the newborn has not fully developed for a period of time after birth, and is blocked by a layer of congenital residual membrane or by epithelial cell debris, causing tear duct obstruction. Because neonatal dacryocystitis is caused by congenital hypoplasia of the lacrimal duct, it is also called "congenital dacryocystitis".

If a child is diagnosed with neonatal dacryocystitis, parents should not be too anxious, because the tear ducts of babies within 6 months are still in the stage of continuous development, and conservative treatment can be adopted first. Generally, antibiotic eye drops are used locally, combined with massage of the skin at the greater corner of the eye (tear sac) to promote the flow of tears toward the nasolacrimal duct. This is done 2 to 3 times a day. For more severe cases, the number can be increased to 4 to 6 times, each time for 1 minute. After a period of treatment, the membrane will rupture on its own and the tear duct will be unobstructed. If the symptoms do not improve after a period of time, you can go to the hospital for pressurized flushing of the tear duct to break the membrane. If the above two methods are ineffective, the tear duct probing can be used to puncture the membrane with a probe to make the tear duct unobstructed. However, if the tear duct is blocked due to bony stenosis or nasal deformity, surgery or other methods should be considered to clear the tear duct.

As for the timing of treatment, generally the earlier the better. If neonatal dacryocystitis is not treated for a long time, the prolonged expansion of the lacrimal sac will cause the sac wall to lose its elasticity. Even if the tear duct is unobstructed in the future, the symptoms of epiphora will still exist, and permanent scar occlusion of the tear duct may occur due to persistent tear duct inflammation. In addition, the continuous discharge of lacrimal sac pus into the conjunctival sac can lead to inflammation of the conjunctiva and cornea, cause corneal ulcers, and even develop into intraocular inflammation, posing a serious potential threat to the eyeball. Therefore, neonatal dacryocystitis must be treated in time to eliminate hidden dangers as soon as possible.

When this happens, parents must pay attention to go to the hospital for treatment and cleaning in time, and must listen to the doctor's treatment advice. The doctor's treatment advice is very important. The occurrence of this situation may also cause other diseases, such as the occurrence of lacrimal gland inflammation. When this happens, parents must not touch their children's eyes with their hands, as it is likely to cause further infection.