Tear Duct Surgery in Singapore

Sometimes, but often not. A duct blocked during an infection can settle once the infection clears. One that has narrowed over years does not reopen on its own, and that is the kind surgery is for.

A long-standing blockage tends to last until it is treated, because the narrowing does not undo itself. One caused by an infection may ease within weeks once the infection is treated.

Dacryocystorhinostomy, usually shortened to DCR. It makes a new passage from the tear sac straight into the nose, going around the blocked duct rather than trying to clear it. It is done either through a small cut on the side of the nose (external DCR) or from inside the nose with a fine camera (endoscopic DCR).

Not during it. It is done under local or general anaesthetic, decided with you beforehand. Afterwards the side of the nose is usually sore and bruised for a few days, and ordinary painkillers are generally enough.

Endoscopic DCR leaves no scar on the skin, because it is done from inside the nose. External DCR uses a small cut on the side of the nose, and in most people it fades until it is hard to see. Which route suits you depends on the blockage and on the inside of your nose.

Most people are back to ordinary activities within about a week. For the first week or two, avoid blowing your nose hard, heavy lifting and strenuous exercise, which can start a nosebleed. If a fine silicone tube was placed, it stays in for some weeks and is taken out in clinic in a few minutes.

For most people, yes. In studies, DCR stops the watering in about nine in ten people, and the endoscopic and external routes give similar results. Where the new passage narrows again, a second operation is possible.

Rarely. Most watering comes from dry eyes, the eyelids or a blocked duct. Tumours of the tear sac are uncommon, but they can block the duct, so a few signs are examined more closely rather than treated as an ordinary blockage: tears stained with blood, a firm lump above the inner corner of the eye that does not go away, or nosebleeds on the same side with no other cause. Where one of these is present, a small sample of tissue may be taken for testing, which can be done during the surgery.

Often, towards part of it. MediSave and Corporate and Personal Insurance can be used towards eligible surgery, and how much applies depends on your plan and the procedure. We confirm it at your consultation at our Camden clinic.

An eye surgeon, usually one whose subspecialty is oculoplastics: the eyelids, the orbit and the tear drainage system. At The Straits Eye Centre it is carried out by Dr Jason Lee, Senior Consultant, at our Camden clinic.