Dacryocystitis is the infection of the lacrimal sac, found on the side of the nose near the inner corner of the eye. The lacrimal sac drains tears from the eye into the tear ducts leading into the nose.
Dacryocystitis is typically caused by a blocked tear duct. A blocked or narrowed tear duct (dacryostenosis) is a common condition in newborn babies. When tears are unable to drain, they accumulate in the tear duct system leading to the growth of bacteria, which leads to the infection.
Blocked Tear Duct
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The risk from untreated dacryocystitis is bacterial infection. This could cause a number of problems, including fever and infection elsewhere in the body.
The condition occurs most often in infants and can cause the following symptoms:
Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history, and perform a physical exam. Tests may include the following:
Talk with your doctor about the best treatment plan. Treatment options include:
Treatment for the infection does not treat the usual underlying cause of the infection—the blocked tear duct. To treat the blocked tear duct, the tear duct system may need to be massaged (once the infection has healed) to help remove the obstruction. If the tear duct cannot be unobstructed, surgery may be required to prevent recurring dacryocystitis.
There are no known ways to prevent dacryocystitis except for attempting to open a blocked tear duct system.
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American Medical Associationhttp://www.ama-assn.org/
DynaMed Editorial Team. Nasolacrimal duct obstruction. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:
. Updated July 16, 2010. Accessed November 4, 2010.
Tear duct obstruction and surgery. Nemours Foundation website. Available at:
. Accessed May 30, 2007
University of Virginia Health System.
Blocked tear duct (dacryostenosis). University of Virginia Health System website. Available at:
Accessed May 30, 2007.
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