Surgery for Obstruction
in the Tear Duct

The surgical procedure known as dacryocystorhinostomy is recommended for the treatment of watery eyes caused by an obstruction in the tear duct. This obstruction may be the result of an infection in the lacrimal sac (in the inner corner of the eye), but may also occur due to other causes.
The operation consists of eliminating the obstruction in the tear duct by opening up a passage between the lacrimal sac and the nostril.

In VistaLáser’s tear duct unit, the intervention is carried out using a transcanicular method with laser. A laser fibre of between 300 and 500 microns is passed through the tear duct, which is located in the eyelids in the inner corners of each eye. Guided by a tiny camera, or nasal endoscope, this extremely fine laser beam passes through the lacrimal bone and opens up the obstructed tear duct.

This modern surgical technique has become possible due to the progress made recently in nasal endoscope technology and the reduced size of lasers as a result of using fibre optics.

The technique is a significant advance on traditional methods for the following reasons:

No scarring to the patient’s face.
It is an outpatient procedure performed with a local anaesthetic.
Patients recover quickly after the operation and the actual intervention itself only takes 30 minutes.