Tear Duct Removal

[Maira]

Does anyone know or has had their tear ducts removed?

I have chronic dry eyes and have gone through most of the same procedures modt of you have. My next option is to have my bottom tear ducts removed. I'm thinking this maybe a little radical, especially since my top tear ducts have not been closed yet.

Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated.

Maira

[dianat]

I am not familiar with such a procedure as tear duct removal. Can you explain it?

[Rebecca Petris]

I'm confused too. I'll take a stab at interpreting... sorry if I'm way off! My guess is, they're proposing cauterizing your lower puncta, but you've not yet tried plugs in your uppers so you're (understandably) hesitant about taking a more permanent step at this stage?

Is there any information you can share about your diagnosis and the specific treatments you have tried to date?

If you want some ideas about other treatments to explore before attempting anything surgical or similar, we have quite a few ideas at this link

[Maira]

Tear Duct Removal

I am not familiar with such a procedure as tear duct removal. Can you explain it?

As it was explained to me, an incision is made in my lower eye lid and the tear duct is cut out. The incision is then closed with two stitches. It takes almost a year for total healing from the inside with the stitches on the outside taking a couple of weeks.

[Eli]

I have never heard of such a thing. I have heard of the lower puncta being stitched shut (an old practice, I think), but even that would seem unneccesary since plugs or cautery work just as well and are less complicated and invasive. Unless you have some other medical issue, I see no reason to have anyone cutting and stitching your tear ducts. All you have to do is simply block the hole to help retain tears. Cutting the whole duct out wouldn't help you any more than cautery or a plug. Could you have possibly misunderstood your doctor?

[dianat]

Maira,

You've not said much of your eye condition. What has caused your chronic dry eye? What is your history with plugs? Have you had issues with infections in your tear ducts?

It seems no one here has heard of the procedure you're describing. Common sense isn't helping me out either. The tear duct is an opening. I fail to see the benefit of cutting it out and stitching it closed, unless you've had serious issues specific to the duct. Chronic dry eye would certainly not warrant such a surgery.

You might consider returning to your doctor to clarify. Perhaps you have misunderstood. If not, I would recommend getting a second opinion, or better yet, a brand new doctor who can help strategize your care and maximize your comfort using modern, safe and mainstream methods.

I would absolutely not agree to a tear duct removal.

[Rebecca Petris]

I will ask around about what it could be. When I first read the post I was thinking maybe dacryocystorhinostomy for some reason but that cannot be. At any rate, it's just speculation till we know what the diagnosis is. There are very few actual surgical procedures that relate to dry eye specifically. The only relatively common ones I know of are cautery, tarsorrhaphy and corneal debridement or PTK.

[Rebecca Petris]

I asked one doctor, whose comment was "insane procedure" and said something about milking insurance companies.

[sanlee]

Do not want to close off all the tear ducts

If you have all the tear ducts closed off, the tears have no where to go. Are you sure you don't want a second opinion? Sandi

[julzzlynn]

I just had my right eye tear duct cut out. I have had several different kinds of plugs tried on me, had the puntal cauterizing, it didnt work, so I went to a specialist and he did a deep puntal cauterizing, thats where they have a very small wire, stick it down the duct and cauterize it from the bottom of the duct to the top and burn the top again, again that didnt work, I was told this was because of the medicine I was taking for my rhemetoid, which caused the sjogrens to begin with. So my next step was the cutting out of the tear duct. My case is extreme and I dont think the cutting of the tear duct is not giving me alot of releif.