The dangers of blocked tear ducts in newborns

The common symptom of tear duct obstruction is that the newborn baby suffers from eye infection due to being soaked in amniotic fluid, which leads to tear duct obstruction. In life, we should pay attention to the occurrence of many such phenomena. How should parents deal with it?

Eczema around the eyes: Children’s facial skin is delicate, and tears can irritate the skin around the eyes, causing rashes, erosions, and itching that are difficult to heal over time.

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Dacryocystitis: Simple tear duct obstruction may result in clear mucus discharge without pus discharge. However, if the tear duct is blocked, tears will accumulate in the lacrimal sac and it is very easy to cause secondary infection and dacryocystitis. At this time, purulent fluid will flow out or there will be purulent eye discharge. If not treated in time, the lacrimal sac and lacrimal duct mucosa will have an inflammatory reaction, making it easy for the lacrimal duct to become blocked again after probing.

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Tension tearing: The tear duct is blocked, and tears, mucus and even pus accumulate in the lacrimal sac for a long time, causing the lacrimal sac to lose its elasticity and tear drainage function. Even if the tear duct is unblocked, tension tearing will occur due to the inability of the lacrimal sac to contract.

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Keratitis: When the tear duct is blocked and dacryocystitis occurs but is not treated in time, once the cornea (black pupil) has a slight trauma such as corneal foreign body, nail scratches, rubbing the eyes hard, etc., the bacteria discharged from the lacrimal sac will invade the cornea and cause keratitis. Severe keratitis can leave permanent scars on the cornea and affect vision.

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Orbital cellulitis: When the bacteria of dacryocystitis are highly virulent and the body's resistance is low, the bacteria will cause acute inflammation of the lacrimal sac, resulting in redness, swelling, nodules and pain in the lacrimal sac area. Inflammation can spread to

The surrounding tissues may cause orbital cellulitis or even intracranial infection, which is life-threatening.

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Cosmetic and Psychological Effects: The cosmetic and psychological effects of persistent tearing are obvious in older children. Children are often unwilling to look up, make eye contact or communicate with others, which leads to decreased self-confidence and withdrawn personality.

Generally speaking, blockage of the tear duct in newborns is a congenital phenomenon. Most of the time, it is very rare and difficult to detect in infancy. Some children will show obvious symptoms, so parents should take timely prevention and treatment measures.