DCR

Did you know that the secretion of tears is a very important function in the eye? Tears keep the eye moist and have an antiseptic effect on the eye, not allowing common infective organisms to reach inside the eye. They also provide an excellent optical surface for light reaching the eye from outside. Tears are secreted by the tear glands in the eye and these drain away to the nose. Normally, the tear inflow and outflow process is finely regulated. When excessive tears are produced, then tears flow down from the eye, for example, when you cry. However, in some situations, excessive tearing can also result not from the production of excessive tears, but from the blockage of the drain leading to the nose.

DCR, or dacryocystorhynostomy, is a surgery performed to create a new tear drain between the eye and nose when your current tear drain becomes blocked or obstructed.

Tears generated by the tear glands in your eyes need to be drained to the nose. The tear drain consists of two small openings called punctum; one in your upper eyelid, and the other in your lower eyelid. Each of these openings leads into a small tube called the canaliculus, .which, in turn, empties into the lacrimal sac between the inside corner of your eye and your nose. The lacrimal sac leads into a canal called the nasolacrimal duct that passes through the bony structures surrounding your nose and empties tears into your nasal cavity.

When you blink, your eyelids push tears evenly across the eyes to keep them moist and healthy. Blinking also pumps your old tears into the puncta and lacrimal sac where they travel through the tear duct and drain into your nose. If your tear duct is blocked, your tears back up and spill over your eyelids as if you were crying. Tears blocked in the lacrimal sac can also become stagnant and get infected. A DCR can be performed to correct this condition.

The most common symptoms are excessive watering, mucous discharge from the eye, and painful swelling in the inner corner of your eyelids. A skillful history and physical examination can usually pinpoint the cause of excessive tearing and blockage. If your symptoms go untreated, an infection can develop around your eye.