Nasolacrimal duct obstruction

Nasolacrimal duct obstruction is the most common cause of a persistent watery eye in an infant. It is caused by an imperforate membrane, usually at the lower end of the lacrimal duct. Around 1 in 10 infants have symptoms at around one month of age

Management

• teach parents to massage the lacrimal duct
• symptoms resolve in 95% by the age of one year. Unresolved cases should be referred to an ophthalmologist for consideration of probing, which is done under a light general anaesthetic