Our pediatric eye doctors serve as medical advisors to national and local organizations for children’s eye health and have been named among the “Best Doctors in America.”
Nemours Eye Doctors Named Among "Best"
Blocked Tear Ducts
What are blocked tear ducts?
Blocked tear ducts, also known by the medical term nasolacrimal duct obstructions, are very common in children and infants. Children may be born with a tear-duct system that hasn’t fully developed and this can lead to blockage, excessive tearing, and infection. Many cases of blocked tear ducts clear by themselves during the first year of life.
What are symptoms of blocked tear ducts?
Symptoms of a blockage include an overflow of tears, as well as red, swollen eyelids and possibly a yellowish-green discharge from a build-up of bacteria in the tears.
How are blocked tear ducts diagnosed and treated?
Our Nemours pediatric ophthalmologists will perform certain tests in the office to confirm the diagnosis of blocked tear ducts.
If the tear duct obstruction does not resolve by itself, your Nemours physician may recommend one or more of the following treatments:
- tear duct massage
- topical antibiotic eye drops
- tear duct probing
- balloon tear duct dilation
- tear duct intubation
You can learn more about tear duct obstruction and surgery from Nemours experts at KidsHealth.org.
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