External DCR

[0:08]Your ophthalmologist has recommended surgery to treat a blocked tear duct near your eye. The procedure called external dacryocystorhinostomy, or external DCR, will allow tears to drain properly again from your eye into your nose. This helps stop the excessive tearing, discharge and eye irritation that comes with a blocked tear duct. Let's take a look at what happens when your tear duct is blocked. Tears protect the eyes and keep them moist and healthy. Tears come from the conjunctiva, which is the clear tissue over the white of the eye and from the lacrimal glands. These glands are located above each eye. The tears flow across the surface of your eye and drain through tiny holes called puncta. Puncta are in the corners of your upper and lower eyelids near the nose. The tears then travel through tiny passages in the eyelids. They eventually go into the nasolacrimal duct before emptying into your nose. This is why your nose runs when you cry. When the tear drainage system is either partly or completely blocked, tears cannot drain normally. The eye becomes watery and irritated. It can also be constantly infected. A blocked tear duct can be due to age, injury or infection. The DCR procedure creates a new pathway for tears to flow out of the eye, bypassing the blocked tear drainage system. DCR surgery is an outpatient procedure. It's performed under local anesthesia with sedatives to numb the area and relax you. Or you may have general anesthesia so that you're in a very deep sleep. Your surgeon can explain which anesthesia option is recommended for you. External dacryocystorhinostomy or DCR is surgery that creates a new pathway for tears to drain from the eye when the tear duct is blocked. The surgeon will make a small incision near the inside corner of the eye. He or she will then create a new opening directly from the eye's lacrimal sac into the nasal cavity to allow tears to drain. A surgical adhesive or stitches are used to close the incision and a tube-like stent may be used temporarily to keep the new drain from closing up while healing. The tube can be removed later in the surgeon's office or outpatient surgery center. As with any surgery, there are possible risks with external DCR. External DCR risks can include bleeding, infection, scarring, failure of the new drainage channel to stay open, requiring additional surgery. Temporary problems blinking and closing the eye and anesthesia-related complications. If your tear duct is completely blocked, the only other treatment option is a similar surgery that goes in through the nose rather than outside of it. If your tear duct is only partly blocked, there may be alternatives to DCR. Other options may include placing a surgical balloon or tubes in the duct to enlarge it and keep it open. Your ophthalmologist can explain why he or she chose external DCR to treat your blocked tear duct. You do not have to be treated for your block tear duct. However, if it is left untreated, you will continue to have tearing, discharge from the eye and irritation. You also risk developing a serious infection that could lead to vision loss. Surgery can prevent these problems. If you have any questions or concerns about DCR, ask your ophthalmologist. He or she will be happy to help you understand the risks and benefits of this procedure. Also, if you have any questions or concerns about your eyes or your vision in general, don't hesitate to bring them up. Your ophthalmologist is committed to protect.