Tears perform a wide range of functions including supplying our eyes with oxygen, acting as a lubricant, rinsing foreign particles out of our eyes, nourishing the cornea, and producing antibodies to fight pathogens that enter the eye.
Your lacrimal gland (tear duct) is located in the upper outer eyelid and produces tears which spread across the surface of the eyes. Blinking your eyes pumps excess moisture into the eye’s drainage system, via ducts in the upper and lower eyelids and finally into the nose. We all shed tears as a necessary function for optimum eye health.
However, eyes that water for no apparent reason may be the result of an underlying eye condition. Sometimes our tear ducts function incorrectly due to minor infections, injuries, irritants, vision straining, or poor composition of tears and can lead to:
- Constant tearing and overflow
- Eye infections due to tear stagnation
- Blurred vision
Conditions and Treatments:
Endoscopic and External DCR
Tear duct drainage or blockage issues may require a procedure called a Dacryocystorhonostomy (DCR) which is performed via the nasal cavity to access and clear the tear duct system or bypass any obstruction.
Revision Tear Duct Surgery
In some cases, the eyelid position may interfere with effective drainage of tears and require surgical correction. To minimise scarring on the face, tear duct surgery is usually performed through an incision on the nose which provides excellent access to built up scar tissue that is most often the cause of the duct obstruction.
