uceyecenter.com

Many children are born with tear duct obstructions. The eye often becomes infected, and tears will run down the child's cheek. Usually, the tear duct obstruction clears with time and conservative management, which includes massaging the tear duct system and the application of antibiotic drops.

If the tear duct does not open by the time the child is twelve months old, a tear duct probing is usually done. The procedure is highly successful with the use of advanced techniques with an over 95 percent success rate if the surgery is performed before the age of 18 months. Sometimes a temporary silastic tubing, which is removed in the office, is recommended to prevent the re-occurrence of the obstruction.