Contents:
- Medical Video: Tear overflow, tear duct obstruction, blocked tear drain - A State of Sight #25
- Symptoms of infection in the tear glands
- Causes of glandular and tear duct infections
- Can dacryocystitis from birth
- Deal with dacryocystitis so that it doesn't get serious
Medical Video: Tear overflow, tear duct obstruction, blocked tear drain - A State of Sight #25
Ever wondered where human tears came from? Tears are produced by tear glands, which are small glands behind the nose. Well, tear production is very important to keep the eyes moist, clean, and free of bacteria. Therefore the health of the tear glands is very important. Because the tear glands can also experience infection. This gland infection is known as dacryocystitis.
Eyes that experience dacryocystitis will experience sores and swelling and appear reddish in the part of the eye bordering the nose. This is caused by an inflammatory process that can take place acutely or chronic.
Symptoms of infection in the tear glands
The main symptom of dacryocystitis or infection of the tear gland is that the eyes are too runny. You may also feel pain. Acute inflammatory conditions from dacryocystitis can also cause pus to come out of the swollen part of the eye in the corner of the eye, leading to fever.
Inflammation of dacryocystitis can also occur slowly or chronically (many times or months or more) with symptoms that are usually milder. Chronic dacryocystitis often only causes watery eyes, without signs of inflammation such as swelling.
Acute dacryocystitis infection can be a serious health condition if not treated immediately. If someone has dacryocystitis to fever, immediately take treatment before the infection spreads to the eye bags. This condition can cause the infection to spread through the blood, potentially causing blindness.
Another complication if the infection occurs too long is the appearance of several diseases. For example, brain abscess, which is when pus clogs in the brain; meningitis due to inflammation spreads around the lining of the brain and spine; to sepsis or blood poisoning.
Causes of glandular and tear duct infections
Dacryocystitis usually begins with a blockage around the glands and tear ducts so that the process of absorption of tears is disturbed. The unabsorbed tear fluid is an ideal environment for bacterial growth, specifically Staphylococcus aureus. Therefore, eyes become more susceptible to infection.
Blockages around the tear glands may be caused by various things.
- There is a wound on the inside of the nose or eyes.
- Facial injury, precisely around the nose.
- Polyps or the appearance of a small lump on the inside of the nose.
- Inflammation of the sinuses (sinusitis).
- Side effects of sinus or nasal surgery.
- Entry of foreign matter in the gland or duct.
- Cancer.
Dacryocystitis can also be experienced by the elderly (elderly) because the elderly tear glands tend to narrow as they age. However, this condition is more common in elderly women than men because their tear ducts tend to be smaller.
Several factors also increase a person's risk of experiencing dacryocystitis, including the following.
- Deviated septum, is a condition where the septum (the wall that divides the two nasal cavities) is not right in the middle. As a result, one of the nostrils becomes smaller.
- Rhinitis or inflammation of the lining of the nasal mucosa.
- Swelling of the part around the inner nasal bone which acts as a filter and moisture keeper of the air we breathe.
Can dacryocystitis from birth
The condition of dacryocystitis is most often found in infants. This is due to a blockage in the tear gland ducts as congenital dacryocystitis. Most of these conditions improve on their own because the tear glands will expand along with growth.
However, congenital dacryocystitis can also persist due to imperfect development or the emergence of cysts that clog the tear ducts. This causes dacryocystitis to occur chronically and can only be detected by examination ultrasound.
Deal with dacryocystitis so that it doesn't get serious
Acute infections and inflammation can be treated quickly with antibiotics. However, if this happens frequently and is not only triggered by infection, dacryocystitis needs surgery to dilate the tear absorption channel. This is very necessary to prevent future infections.
To prevent dacryocystitis or infection from getting worse, it is necessary to drain the drains. This is done by attaching a cloth moistened with warm water around the tear ducts. Make sure your hands are washed before doing so. Press the cloth that has been moistened slowly, this can help pus and fluid out of the tear duct.
