What is the treatment for congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction

Congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction is relatively common in clinical practice, and the disease is most obvious in the neonatal stage. Many people want to know how congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction is treated. For the treatment of congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction, massage can generally be used first.

1. Congenital lacrimal duct stenosis can often resolve on its own within 6 months after birth. Use fingertip massage to squeeze the contents of the lacrimal sac into the nasolacrimal duct twice a day to accelerate the removal of blockage. In case of recurrent infection, antibiotic eye drops should be used intermittently. If the blockage cannot be resolved on its own, the lacrimal puncta should be dilated and the tear drainage system should be probed. Brief general anesthesia is often required for probing of infants.

2. Congenital means that the nasolacrimal duct is obstructed in infancy. During embryonic development, there is a layer of membrane at the exit of the nasolacrimal duct, which will disappear naturally in the late embryonic stage or just after birth. If this membrane continues to exist, the baby will have tearful eyes two weeks after birth. Parents will see that their babies are constantly shedding tears even if they are not crying. This may be congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction. At this time, you should see an ophthalmologist as soon as possible, because it may also be congenital glaucoma, neonatal conjunctivitis and other eye diseases.

3. Once it is confirmed that it is congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction, nasolacrimal duct massage can be performed first. That is, parents press the lacrimal sac on the inside of the eyelid with their thumb, and slide it forcefully along the nose wing toward the nostril, and use antibiotic eye drops on time to reduce bacterial infection. About 90% of infants will be cured before one year old. The other 10% of infants can be punctured with a nasolacrimal duct probe after one year old to puncture the membrane at the outlet of the nasolacrimal duct, and the cure rate can reach 90%. Some people also advocate nasolacrimal duct probe puncture before one year old, but no matter what, the later you seek medical treatment, if you delay it until the child is over two years old, it will be difficult to cure it with probe puncture, and surgery will be necessary.