A blocked or clogged tear duct is a fairly common condition in infants which may also occur for several reasons in older kids and adults. People often think that a clogged tear duct means you can’t produce tears, but in fact this isn’t true. Usually a blocked duct means that the eyes cannot properly drain tears. This means the eyes may have excessive tearing, get swollen and become subject to frequent infection.

A number of symptoms may be present when a person has a clogged tear duct. These include bloody looking tears, crust or stickiness around the affected eye, swelling of the eyelid on the inside corner, and frequent eye infections and redness. If this condition persists, especially if the bottom eyelid or the inside corner of the eye is swollen, you should suspect you have a blocked tear duct.

In infants, the most common cause of a clogged tear duct is lack of development of the tear duct or even a small bit of tissue over the affected duct. Sometimes people of any age have abnormal structure of the face or head, which prevent tear ducts from draining properly. Other causes include infection, presence of cysts or tumors, using eye medication (though rarely), aging, and facial injury. Sometimes there’s little need to find the specific cause because it’s obvious, and other times doctors may need to look for a cause.

It used to be common to do surgery on infants with a clogged tear duct in order to open the duct. Doctors now know this is usually unnecessary because the duct often opens on its own in a few months. Parents may be instructed to do special kinds of massage of the eye to facilitate opening.

In adults and children who have a clogged tear duct, surgery may be the most common method of treating the condition, though doctors may wait to see if the condition clears on its own. Surgery can involve a variety of different methods. One of the most common of these is dacryocystorhinostomy. In this surgery, doctors create a new pathway for tear drainage that goes around the blocked duct, and may leave tiny tubes in this passage to facilitate drainage. These are usually removed about six months later.

There are some risks to having a clogged tear duct. It is much easier for the eyes to become infected, and these blockages can interfere with vision and feel uncomfortable. Unfortunately, most people can’t really prevent these blockages, except to try to avoid eye infections like pink eye through good handwashing practices. It’s also important to keep your hands off your face, especially in public, since this is the easiest way to get things like pink eye that might create these blockages. Another tip is to be sure to wear protective eyewear as recommended for any tasks that have the potential to cause eye injury.