Live tears due to blocked tear ducts in children

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was consulted with MSc Duong Van Sy - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology, Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.
On average, about 20 children out of every 100 children have live lacrimal disease. When an infant sheds live tears, it will show that the baby's eyes are always in a state of direct tears, eyes filled with tears.

1. What is live tears?

Live tears in children is a phenomenon in which the baby's eyes are always wet (wet). The baby's eyes produce more tears than usual and can only drain in the way of "overflowing eyelids". Her eyes are always wet and sometimes tears roll down her cheeks. This is a disease that is most common in young children, especially infants.

2. Causes of live tears in children

Live tears are caused by many causes, but there are three main causes, which are:
Firstly, because the eyes are irritated by foreign objects such as dust, pollen, sand, ... forcing the baby's eyes must produce a lot of tears to wash away the foreign object. Or the baby's eyelashes are ingrown, causing the baby to have live tears. Second, because the baby's eyes are infected. Infection is also one of the common causes of watery eyes in babies. There can be a bacterial, viral, or conjunctivitis infection that causes your baby's eyes to swell, hurt, burn, and water constantly. Third, live tears in infants due to lacrimal obstruction. This is one of the most dangerous causes and deserves the most attention in the causes of live tears because of its dangerous level as well as the sequelae that it leaves for sufferers. The function of the tear duct is to carry excess tears from the eye to the nose. When the tear duct is blocked, this function is reduced even if it does not work, leading to the water to flow out instead of flowing down the tear duct.

3. Live tears due to blocked tear ducts in children

3.1 What is the cult? The eye is made up of the lacrimal gland, the pupil, the conjunctiva, the lacrimal duct, and the lacrimal sac. Each organ has a function and task to help the eyes work "smoothly".
The tear duct is a structural system that functions to conduct excess tears from the eyes to the nose through two ducts from the two holes in the inner corner of the eyelids to the nose. After lubricating and cleaning the eyeball, tears will flow to the inner corner of the eye and follow the lacrimal channel to the nose. When the tear duct is blocked, the tears will not be able to go down the nose, there is no way to escape forcing those tears to overflow, leading to lacrimation in babies due to blocked tear ducts.

3.2 Causes of tear duct obstruction in infants Some common causes are:
Absence or narrowing of the tear spot located in the inner corner of the eye (where the tear duct begins). Congenital tear duct fistula. Congenital occlusion: common in about 50% of newborns. The cause is usually due to the incomplete formation of the lacrimal canal in the fetus, so the lower end of the lacrimal canal still has a blocked membrane, or the deformity of the bony canal of the lacrimal duct. Abnormalities of the maxillofacial region also increase the likelihood of lacrimal occlusion, seen in Down syndrome. Nasal polyps that block the tear drainage of the lacrimal duct may be the cause of lacrimal obstruction in infants. U: Any tumor capable of compressing the tear duct is the cause of tear duct obstruction. 3.3 Consequences of lacrimation in newborns due to lacrimal occlusion Medical experts recommend that children with live lacrimation go to medical institutions early for early examination and treatment because the child's eyes Newborns are weaker than normal eyes, if left for a long time, it will be very dangerous to the health of children.
Should not be subjective but self-instillation because it can cause other complications such as cataracts, corneal ulcers, .. leading to blindness. Early tearing in infants due to blocked tear ducts can be one of the causes of other diseases such as acute pouchitis, abscess of the lacrimal gland, not only that, it can also cause extremely dangerous diseases. such as sepsis, meningitis and even death.

4. What to do when a child has a live tear?

At home, you can use a number of methods such as: keeping your baby's eyes clean, regularly applying hot and cold compresses to your baby to relieve the blockage of the tear ducts and clean up the accumulated eye rust.
Parents can drop the baby's medicine with specialized medicine for young children and clean the eyes with physiological saline. With mild cases, the baby's eyeball is still clear, bright and no signs of discomfort you can take care of your baby at home and monitor more. If your baby has the following symptoms, you should take him to the doctor right away:
The baby's eyes are inflamed, red in or around the eyes Lots of yellow rust around the eyes The baby rubs his eyes constantly and is fussy. sensitive to light, always squinting and wanting to close them. Swollen or deformed baby eyelids In general, watery eyes in young children are common. Therefore, you should not be too worried, but you also need to monitor regularly to promptly detect strange accompanying symptoms.
As a key area of ​​Vinmec Health system, Pediatrics Department always brings satisfaction to customers and is highly appreciated by industry experts with:
Gathering a team of top doctors and nurses in Pediatrics : consists of leading experts with high professional qualifications (professors, associate professors, doctorates, masters), experienced, worked at major hospitals such as Bach Mai, 108.. Doctors All doctors are well-trained, professional, conscientious, knowledgeable about young psychology. In addition to domestic pediatric specialists, the Department of Pediatrics also has the participation of foreign experts (Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA) who are always pioneers in applying the latest and most effective treatment regimens. . Comprehensive services: In the field of Pediatrics, Vinmec provides a series of continuous medical examination and treatment services from Newborn to Pediatric and Vaccine,... according to international standards to help parents take care of their baby's health from birth to childhood. from birth to adulthood Specialized techniques: Vinmec has successfully deployed many specialized techniques to make the treatment of difficult diseases in Pediatrics more effective: neurosurgery - skull surgery, stem cell transplantation. blood in cancer treatment. Professional care: In addition to understanding children's psychology, Vinmec also pays special attention to the children's play space, helping them to have fun and get used to the hospital's environment, cooperate in treatment, improve the efficiency of medical treatment.

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