Some children are born with a tear duct obstruction, a condition that makes it appear as if they are crying all the time.
A tear duct obstruction occurs when the opening from the duct into the nose continues to have membranes blocking it. In about 90 percent of these cases, the membrane in the duct dissolves by the time a child is a year old, but for those other 10 percent a minor surgical procedure may be necessary.
"Parents may detect an obstructed tear duct if one or both of their child's eye has excessive tearing, pus in the corner, or if in the morning, the eyelids are crusted," says Dr. Joanne Waeltermann, the pediatric ophthalmologist at the University of Maryland Hospital for Children.
Often times the obstruction can lead to infections of the eye. It is important to detect a tear duct obstruction early so that treatment, like eye massage or antibiotics, can begin early in hopes of avoiding minor surgery.
The surgical procedure is performed by a pediatric ophthalmologist on an outpatient basis. A child is put under general anesthesia and then a thin wire is threaded into the tear duct to pop the obstruction. The entire process takes just a matter of minutes.
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