Technically speaking, dacryostenosis refers to blockage of the drainage system that carries tears away from the eye as they are formed. Matting, tearing, and discharge from the eyes of your newborn or young infant may be an uncomplicated eye infection, usually contracted when your baby makes the journey down the birth canal. This is generally a simple matter for your baby's doctor to treat with antibiotic drops or ointment. However, persistent matting and tearing of the eyes that fails to clear up with antibiotics is most often caused by narrow or blocked tear ducts. Normally tears flow out of the eye through the tiny pores easily visible in the corners of the eyelids nearest to the nose. Tears normally drain through the tear ducts into the nose, which explains why one sniffs at a sad movie. The blockage may be temporary, caused by old mucus and debris in the duct; or it may be more permanent, caused by narrowing of the duct or actual blockage. True physical blockage is caused by the failure of a proper channel to form ina little flap of tissue that lies right at the end of the duct where it empties into the nose. When the eye collects yellow or green mucus and tears even though it is frequently wiped clean, antibiotic drops may be used for a suspected infection. If the antibiotic drops are to no avail and the matting continues usually only in one eye
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Treating Blocked Tear Ducts in Children
A tear duct is a small tube that drains tears from the eyes. Tears are made in glands under the eyelids. They wash over the eyes to keep them moist and clean. Then, they drain though the tear ducts. When a tear duct is blocked a blockage , the tears can't drain. Many babies are born with a tear-duct blockage.
A blocked tear duct is called dacryostenosis. It may also be called a congenital lacrimal duct obstruction. Congenital means that your baby is born with it. This is located under the bone of the eyebrow. Tears from the lacrimal gland go into the eye through tiny ducts along the eyelid. Tears drain through 2 small openings at the inner corner of the eyelids. They then drain into a larger passage from the eye to the inside of the nose. This is called the tear nasolacrimal duct. This causes a blockage.
