Is crying unnecessarily a reason for aging? Beijing Joint Medical Center warns: cellulitis may develop if ignored

Many people shed tears for no apparent reason when exposed to the wind while going out. Many elderly people think that this is a normal aging phenomenon or dry eye syndrome, and they can only bear it silently or apply eye drops by themselves, but there is no improvement. Taipei City United Hospital Zhongjiao Campus reminds that this is probably a warning sign of “nasolacrimal duct obstruction”, which can be corrected through minimally invasive surgery.

Qiu Guanjie, an ophthalmologist attending the Zhongjiao campus, explained that the lacrimal glands of the eyes will continue to secrete tears to moisturize the eyeball. Excess tears will flow into the nasal cavity through the tear pores, lacrimal canaliculi, and lacrimal sacs inside the head of the eye, and into the nasal cavity along a dedicated sewer called the “nasolacrimal duct” for discharge. When any part of this drainage channel becomes narrowed or blocked, tears have nowhere to go and flow directly out of the eye, medically known as “aporia.”

Qiu Guanjie said that nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO) is more likely to occur in middle-aged and elderly people, and the proportion of women is almost twice that of men. In addition to tissue degeneration and shrinkage caused by aging, chronic inflammation, nose disease, previous injury to the face, or long-term use of certain eye drops can increase the risk of blockage.

He said that if ignored for a long time, retained tears will form like pools of stagnant water accumulated in the kitchen drainage pipe, which can easily breed bacteria. This will not only produce large amounts of secretions and eye mucus, but it can also cause acute dacryocystitis or even make cellulitis worse, posing a serious threat to vision.

Qiu Guanjie talked about treatment. For mild or initial blockage, you can try eye drops and local massage. If the obstruction is more severe, the current clinical preferred treatment method is “minimally invasive lacrimal duct surgery”. The most common and effective is “nasolacrimal duct balloon dilation combined with silicone tube implantation”.

He said this minimally invasive surgery uses a specially made tiny balloon catheter to pass from the original tear hole in the head of the eye deep into the blocked area along the original tear channel. After ballooning the narrow area, a highly biocompatible ultra-fine silicone catheter is inserted to maintain long-term smoothness of the channel.

Qiu Guanjie said that the advantage of this type of minimally invasive technology is that it does not require an incision on the facial skin, there is no scar on the surface, and the operation time is short, tissue damage is less, and recovery is fast after surgery. Patients rarely experience discomfort after a silicone catheter is placed, and the catheter can usually be removed in an outpatient clinic after 1 to 2 months, eliminating the need to re-enter the operating room.

At the turn of autumn and winter, cold air often makes the symptoms of epiphora more pronounced. Qiu Guanji appealed to the public. If you find that your eyes are becoming oily frequently, there is an increase in abnormal eye discharge, or there is redness, swelling, heat and pain inside the eye head, etc., do not suffer silently or mistake it for dry eye. It is recommended that you go to an ophthalmology clinic with the subspecialty of “Oculoplastic Surgery” for a detailed examination as soon as possible.