The lacrimal system is located in the area of the orbit, and its function is to secrete tears that protect, provide oxygen and keep the eye lubricated. It is also responsible for eliminating them through the nose and if this outlet is obstructed, it can lead to a acute dacryocystitis.
What is dacryocystitis?
The dacryocystitis is an infection of the lacrimal sac. caused by obstruction and subsequent infection of the lacrimal duct at the level of the lacrimal sac. The tear duct obstruction can be congenital or acquired. Depending on the type, symptoms such as oedema, fever, pain and suppuration in the inner corner of the orbit, or other different symptoms, but which must still be taken into account for treatment.
What are the types of dacryocystitis?
This disease is classified into two groups depending on the way it manifests itself and the symptoms it causes.
Acute dacryocystitis
It appears suddenly with a sharp pain and subsequent inflammation, redness and oozing. It is neither very frequent nor recurrent and is easy to cure if treated in time with the appropriate antibiotics and the necessary treatment to clean the affected external area.
If not treated in time, the infection can spread to other eye tissues. with all the complications that this entails.
Chronic dacryocystitis
This is the most frequent and occurs when the germs are always present in the lacrimal sac and its symptoms are not as severe as in the acute form, being limited to epiphora and sometimes some inflammation. In this case ophthalmological follow-up is essential, as it can become acute and lead to more serious problems.
Possible causes and symptoms of dacryocystitis
The cause of this infection is the clogging of the tear duct for different reasons such as:
- Trauma to the face directly affecting the nose.
- Tumours and polyps.
- The natural deviation of the nasal septum.
- Rhinitis or chronic inflammation of the nasal mucous membranes.
These are the most common causes of dacryocystitis in adults. In children, another possible cause is congenital, which is caused by a prenatal malformation that manifests itself at birth.
Symptoms depend on the type of infection: if it is acute, it causes pain, reddened eyes, erythema of the lower eyelid, continuous tearing and fever. In the case of chronic infection, it may only present with continuous tearing and some inflammation, although abscesses and suppuration may sometimes appear.
Treatment of acute or chronic dacryocystitis
When this disease is diagnosed as acute, the approach must begin very quickly and in a personalised manner. In dacryocystitis, antibiotic treatment always depends on the results of the cultures, as there is no standard medication for all cases.
The first thing to do is to relieve the symptoms by means of anti-inflammatory painkillers, massages and the application of warm compresses to try to reduce the oedema and alleviate the pain.
If the inflammation resists, and the fluid is not expelled spontaneously, a nasal probe is used to drain the accumulated fluid and antibiotic treatment begins, either topically or orally. If none of this works, the remaining option is surgical treatment.
Dacryocystitis requires surgery, not only in some acute cases, but also in the vast majority of chronic and congenital cases, as this is the only way to remove the element that obstructs the ducts and triggers the permanent presence of germs.
The type of surgery, whether laser or classic, depends on each patient's case and the doctor's criteria, given that, although the former is non-invasive, it is less effective and does not achieve the same long-term results as the latter, which uses a small incision to access the interior to remove the obstacle and perform a recanalisation.
There is no way to prevent acute dacryocystitis, but it can be detected early if you visit our specialists regularly. They can find signs of the disease that are not visible to the naked eye and start treatment before the first symptoms appear and complications arise.