Managing congenital lacrimal obstruction in general practice

摘要: Every year thousands of infants are taken to their general practitioner because they have developed a persistently watering or sticky eye. Congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction is by far the most common cause these symptoms, and an understanding natural course this condition key planning management affected infants. While children can be managed without referral specialist ophthalmic service, it important recognise that discharge occasionally among presenting features rarer, more serious conditions. This review based on information acquired in our longstanding clinical research interest managing congenital lacrimal obstruction. Additional literature was searched for manually journals as computer search Medline January 1977 (Ovid Technologies) with heading “lacrimal obstruction” textwords “congenital “epiphora.” ### Natural course The passages develop column surface ectoderm buried naso-optic groove. Canalisation form not complete at lower end until birth, membranous may persist up 70% neonates (fig 1).1 If impatency persists parents observe from eye; symptoms reported 6-20% all infants.2 3 Other causes occur less commonly do alter early within practice. Fig 1 The drainage system. usually caused persistent duct #### Summary points Twenty per cent during first month life Spontaneous resolution commonest outcome, treatment only 0.7% will still birthday After considering differential …