ABSTRACT
Introduction: The timing of probing for congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNLDO) has been a matter of controversy. This study was conducted to assess the success rate of probing in children with congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction and to evaluate the association between success rate and age at the time of intervention. Methods: A prospective study was conducted between April 2014 and March 2015 on 71 children diagnosed to have congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction. Patients were divided into three age categories. Group A was (1-4 years), group B (4- 7 years), and Group C (7-9 years). Probing was performed by two ophthalmic plastic and lacrimal surgeons under light sedation. Statistical analysis was conducted using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 17.0. Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test with P value less than 0.05 were used to examine the relationship between success rates of probing and age.Results: A total of 101 eyes of 71 children, were included in the analysis. The overall probing success rate was found to be 88.1%. The success rate of probing was 96.0 % in group A, 82.4% in Group B and 33.3% in group C. Statistical analyses showed that there were significant differences in the success rate among these age groups (P< 0.0001).Conclusion: This study confirmed that success rate of probing is greatest in children between 1-4 years and declines with increasing age. Hence, earlier diagnosis and probing are recommended and can be taken as a first line treatment for children with reasonable outcome