Tearing

Tear duct blockage, nasolacrimal duct obstruction)

The tear duct allows your tears to drain from the eye into the nose. When the tear duct becomes blocked, excessive tearing occurs and can lead to infection, discharge or blurred vision. Tear duct blockage commonly occurs deep as the duct enters the nose (nasolacrimal duct obstruction). This is common in infants and older adults. Tear duct blockage in infants will often resolve before the child is one year old with a proper duct massage by parents. If tearing continues it may require a procedure to open the tear duct. A blocked tear duct in adults often requires an outpatient surgery called a DCR to resolve the tearing.