The Clinical Evaluation on the Patients Complaining of Epiphora

ABSTRACT

The clinical analysis on the etiologies was done along with frequency of the patient's complaints of epiphora.The etiologies of the fifty-four patients screened by fluorescein dye disappearance test were classified by the causative location of the lacrimal pathway. The average of the patient's ages was 48.7 years old and average duration of symptom was 26.1 months.The causative locations were punctum[35.2%], nasolacrimal duct, lacrimal pump and nasal cavity in following order.The most common causes of each group were senile lid laxity[5.6%] for lacrimal pump, conjunctivochalasis and punctual atresia[11.1%]for lacrimal pump, idiopathic narrowing[9.3%]for canaliculus and idiopathic narrowing[16.6%]for nasolacrimal duct.Probing was the most common past history[18.5%]and the kinds of treatment were dacryocystorhinostomy, punctoplasty, lid tightening, probing, and conjunctivod acryocystorhinostomy. These data are expected to be a useful guide of rapid diagnosis and appropriate treatment for the epiphora patients without complicate processes and discomfort.