Reconstructive Oculoplastics

Tearing and Blocked Tear Ducts

Evaluation of persistent tearing to identify eyelid, ocular-surface, or tear-drainage causes.

Overview

What This Evaluation Addresses

Excess tearing can result from irritation and reflex tear production, eyelid-position problems, pump dysfunction, or narrowing within the drainage system. Treatment should follow a focused eye and drainage examination rather than assuming every case is a blocked duct.

Reasons to Seek Evaluation

Tears running down the cheek
Recurrent discharge, swelling, or infection near the inner corner
Tearing after trauma, surgery, or facial weakness
Symptoms that are worse outdoors, with irritation, or on one side

Recovery and Next Steps

Plan Around the Individual Treatment

Treatment may focus on the ocular surface, eyelid position, or drainage pathway depending on the cause. Painful swelling, fever, or rapidly increasing redness near the tear sac requires prompt evaluation.

Common Questions

Does watery eye always mean a blocked tear duct?

No. Dryness, irritation, eyelid position, and other problems can trigger excess tears even when drainage is open.

How is drainage assessed?

The examination may include inspection of the tear openings and selected office tests based on symptoms and history.

Is surgery always required?

No. Treatment depends on the cause and may be medical, eyelid-directed, drainage-directed, or observational.

This page provides general education, not a diagnosis or treatment recommendation. Candidacy, risks, alternatives, and recovery must be discussed during an appropriate clinical evaluation. Seek urgent care for sudden or severe eye symptoms.

Tearing and Blocked Tear Ducts

What This Evaluation Addresses

Reasons to Seek Evaluation

Plan Around the Individual Treatment

Common Questions

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