Tearing \ Lacrimal Disorders

Excessive watering or tearing of the eyes (epiphora) can be a symptom of faulty tear drainage, poor eyelid tone or, less commonly, excess tear production. Tears are produced by glands within and around the eyelids. They then evaporate from the surface of the eye and drain through ducts leading into the nose. Sometimes tears cannot drain due to a blockage in the tear drainage system, often in the duct located alongside and through the nasal bone. This may result from advancing age, local inflammation, trauma, prior sinus or nasal surgery, tumors, as a side effect of chemotherapy, or other reasons. In infants and children the most common cause is failure of the tear duct to completely open before birth. Other conditions may cause excess tearing, such as dry eye, eyelid malposition (ectropion/entropion), medications, allergies, or facial palsy.

Excessive watering and tearing is not harmful by itself, but can be bothersome and sometimes causes blurring of vision. However, an untreated tear duct blockage may cause infection that is painful, permanent scarring, and vision damage.

Various surgical solutions may be used to correct tear duct obstructions. In most cases, tear drainage bypass surgery (dacryocystorhinostomy or DCR) can bypass a tear duct through a small opening into the nose. If there is extensive damage throughout the tear drainage system an artificial tear drain (Jones tube) may be inserted to re-establish tear drainage.

As our patient you or your loved one will receive evaluation and treatment by one of our elite oculoplastic surgeons, each with advanced specialized credentials, to give you the uncompromising care and extraordinary results we are known for.

Most procedures may be performed in an ambulatory surgery center setting. Outpatient (ambulatory) surgery helps to reduce hospital costs, personal expense, and length of stay for patients needing surgery. For those times when surgery is best performed at a hospital, TOC physicians have surgical privileges at all Austin-area hospitals and many ambulatory surgery centers.

We understand that any patient may feel anxious or apprehensive about treatment. Our goal is to help you or your loved one feel at ease. We engage each patient with sensitivity and respect for his or her individual needs.

If you would like more information about tear duct disorders, please don’t hesitate to request complimentary information from TOC by email at info@tocaustin.com. You may also schedule a private consultation with a TOC physician.