Obstructed lacrimal canal in the child

The tear channels of the eyes connect the nasolacrimal duct to the outer surface of the eye. The tear channels convey the tears produced by the tear glands to the eye. Tears have the function of cleansing and protecting the surface of the eyes, they are a colorless and diluted liquid.

They contain antibodies and bactericidal enzymes: a good lacrimation is therefore necessary for the health of the eye, it keeps it hydrated, allows it to defend it from foreign bodies, and defend its surface from external agents.

During early childhood , the baby’s tear canal can become blocked : it can happen due to a delayed opening of the valve that drains the tears in the tear duct to the tear canals. This leads to bacterial proliferation , because tears cannot perform their antibacterial function on the surface of the eyes, exposed to external agents of various types.

The result is that the child has redness in the area around the eyes and nasal septum, as well as abnormal tearing, sometimes accompanied by pus leaking from the tear canal. Often the obstruction of the lacrimal canals is mistaken for conjunctivitis, but the treatment for conjunctivitis does not always give good and decisive results in case of occlusion of the lacrimal canals.

Usually this situation disappears naturally within the first 8 months, but healing can be accelerated through a particular massage: the tear canal massage, called Crigler’s massage .

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Baby’s tear canal massage

Massage of the baby’s tear canal facilitates the drainage of tears along the nasolacrimal duct and tear ducts . This allows to restore the natural and adequate lacrimation, to protect the eye naturally, and to resolve the symptoms and any bacterial infections which, if prolonged, can also degenerate into conjunctivitis.

The massage consists of a very simple maneuver that the ophthalmologist or pediatrician can easily teach the parent and carer of the child: with the tips of your fingers, clean, you massage the path of the tear duct, lightly and without applying pressure.

Performing the massage is very simple, but you must always pay a lot of care and attention : slowly and repeatedly slide the fingertip from the base of the nostrils along the base of the nose, between the nasal septum and the cheek, in the direction of the eye.

In correspondence of the conjunctiva, without touching the eye but taking care to always act on the skin of the face , a very slight pressure is exerted, in order to let the tears escape and therefore empty the lacrimal sac.

The massage is performed with the baby lying down , using a lot of delicacy.

By massaging the child’s tear canal, the opening of the Hassner valve , which is mainly responsible for the obstruction of the lacrimal canals, is facilitated. At the same time, any bacteria that may have proliferated due to obstruction are eliminated from the duct and tear canals. The tears then act naturally as a disinfectant and bactericide.

The massage maneuver should be repeated three times , at least as many times during the day.