queen

[karen54]

I have suffered with extreme epiphora for the past year or so. Tears running down my face constantly (except at night ). I have lower punctal plugs, which don't help much. I am miserable. My eyes are always red and dry and uncomfortable. My doc has explained about the "right" and "wrong" kinds of tears we have. I tried restasis very briefly but it was very painful and I stopped. Any suggestions? I do see that my worst eye does not close well (bottom lid ).

[zuzu70]

There is something called an ectropion, which is where the lower lid turns outward and is perhaps saggy. This is one cause of epiphora. \I believe an oculoplastic surgeon or plastic surgeon can perform the surgery to correct this. Obviously, check about the ramifications of any surgery on your dry eye beforehand. (There's also something called an ENtropion, which is where the lid rolls inward, which is problematic because then lashes brush against the eyeball).

[karen54]

Thanks for the tip. Do you know of anyone who had the surgery and what the result was?

[zuzu70]

I don't know of anyone personally who's had ectropion surgery, but just google "ectropion surgery" and you're likely to find a description and risks/benefits. Did you have the epiphora prior to your punctal plugs?