Tear Duct Surgery

The lacrimal gland produces tears, which then spread over the eye with each blink; the upper and lower puncta then drain the tears into the nose through an efficient duct system. The lacrimal system helps to keep the eyes moist and healthy, but sometimes troublesome problems arise. Patients may experience painful swelling, excessive tearing, eye irritation, or an infectious discharge if the tear drainage system becomes blocked or infected. Careful evaluation by a specialist is necessary to determine the basis of the problem and the treatment to eradicate it.

Depending upon the diagnosis, treatment options include warm compresses, antibiotics, or surgery. Surgical procedures to help alleviate tearing include punctoplasty, canaliculoplasty, nasolacrimal probing and irrigation, nasolacrimal stenting, balloon dacryoplasty, eyelid tightening, dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR), conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy (c-DCR), endoscopic DCR, and others. Dr. Enzer takes the time to explain to his patient the ‘how, what, where, and why’ of the planned procedure. Patients usually find great relief from their symptoms when the problem has been properly managed, and fortunately these procedures usually have very high success rates.

In addition, Dr. Enzer was one of the first oculofacial surgeons to perform endoscopic laser dacryocystorhinostomies; although use of the laser has been discontinued, Dr. Enzer is still researching new techniques to make the non-invasive endoscopic approach the standard of care.