One of the most common diseases, which is most often diagnosed in infants in the maternity hospital, is dacryocystitis. This is an inflammatory process in the tear duct that occurs due to many reasons: eye injury, improper hygiene, eye clogging. There is an opinion that women are more susceptible to the disease than men due to the use of low-quality cosmetics. The structure of the lacrimal ducts consists of branches; in their narrowest places, clogging occurs. The lacrimal sac becomes inflamed, pus accumulates there, and untimely treatment leads to complications. Massaging the tear duct will help cure the disease on your own if you start doing it on time. Antibiotics, drug therapy and surgery are used to treat advanced disease. estet-portal.com will tell you about the correct technique for performing massage at home .
- How to properly massage the tear duct for adults
- Tear duct massage technique for newborns
- Features and contraindications for massage
How to properly massage the tear duct for adults
Most often in adults, dacryocystitis is a complication of eye diseases and pathologies of the lacrimal canal. At first, the disease is hidden, there are no visible symptoms, there is no discomfort or pain. The manifestation begins with a small swelling at the bottom of the eye, a feeling of fullness at the location of the lacrimal sac. There may be redness of the skin and cloudy discharge from the eye.
As soon as you notice the first, minor symptoms of the disease, you should immediately start massaging the lacrimal canal.
The first rule is warm and clean hands. If you do the manipulation yourself, then watch the length of your nails so as not to injure the skin. Drop disinfectant into your eyes and wipe with cooled chamomile infusion. Subscribe to our Facebook page!
Using light circular movements, massage the area between the eye and nose, moving downwards. Then work along the entire nose. At the same time, adjust the pressure, the massage should be painless and pleasant. Tap the entire area around the eye with your fingertips, moving from the bridge of the nose to the eyebrows, and then to the lacrimal sac. If during the procedure pus is released from the eye, then we can safely say that the massage was successful. Even if there is no discharge, continue to do the manipulation regularly until all signs and symptoms disappear. What diseases of the body can swelling of the eyelids indicate?
Symptoms of dacryocystitis
Symptoms of dacryocystitis include mucopurulent discharge from the eyes and slight swelling in the inner corner of the eye. When you press on the area of the inflamed lacrimal openings, purulent mucous discharge will appear. After moistening the apple of the eye, tears flow through the lacrimal ducts into the nasal cavity. Due to obstruction of one lacrimal canal or both, secretions accumulate in the lacrimal sac, creating an inflammatory process and forming an infection.
If the position of the membrane is incorrect or the embryonic tissue is not completely dissolved, obstruction of the lacrimal canal can also occur. Purulent discharge with tears due to obstruction of the lacrimal canal completely fills the palpebral fissure during sleep, dries out and “glues” the eyelids together. Hard crusty secretions in the eyelashes can damage the lining of the eyes and affect vision.
Dacryocystitis of the eye is often mistaken for conjunctivitis and anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed for treatment. Such treatment will not cure this disease, but will only worsen it, so at the first symptoms you should immediately contact a pediatric ophthalmologist. Dacryocystitis is dangerous for a child because the purulent masses are located next to the brain.
Depending on the stage of dacryocystitis, pediatric ophthalmologists recommend treating the lacrimal ducts:
- rubbing with fresh tea leaves;
- antibiotic drops simultaneously with Tobrex, Tobradex - anti-inflammatory components;
- massage of lacrimal openings.
After diagnosis, the doctor immediately prescribes treatment and massage of the lacrimal canal, which each mother can independently perform for her child.
Tear duct massage technique for newborns
This pathological process occurs more often in children than in adults. The reason is a violation of intrauterine development. In the normal course of the process, with the baby’s first breath, the membrane of the lacrimal canal ruptures and all the contents come out. This happens in 92-97% of newborns, in another 3-8% the canal remains blocked. Why does the lacrimal sac become inflamed? Clinical manifestations of dacryocystitis Timely massage of the lacrimal canal will save the baby from exacerbation of inflammation, deterioration of the condition, treatment with antibiotics and surgery. Before starting the procedure, wash your hands thoroughly and be sure to trim your nails; the child’s skin is very vulnerable. Make a solution of furatsilin 1:4500, purchase Vitabact or levomecitin in advance.
The movement pattern looks like this: • with your little finger, lightly press the area on top of the eye from the side of the nose and move along the nose with smooth circular movements to remove the gelatinous film; • continue to massage the area along the nose, alternately up and down; • Using tapping movements, move around the entire eye, from the bridge of the nose to the eyebrows and lower eyelid. After the massage, drop Vitabact or levomecithin drops into your baby’s eyes. To achieve results, carry out this procedure 10 times a day. Do not forget that before manipulation you must get rid of the pus. To do this, use the pad of your little finger to press on the inner corner of your eye. Continue applying gentle pressure until pus begins to come out. Wipe your eye with a clean napkin, after moistening it in a furatsilin solution.
Using simple techniques you can help your baby get rid of discomfort. If massage does not bring relief, and the symptoms of the disease worsen, immediately seek help from an ophthalmologist. There are cases when, apart from surgery, nothing helps the baby. Methods of detection and basic approaches to treatment of dacryocystitis
Preparation
If a person performs the massage procedure independently at home, then it is necessary to ensure that the hands are clean and the nails are cut, so as not to introduce an additional infection into the eye or damage the eye membrane or skin.
It is better to use sterile medical gloves for the procedure. Before carrying out the procedure, you should prepare the following kit in advance:
- Cotton swabs to remove purulent fluid.
- Sterile wet wipes.
- Prepare a furatsilin solution for treating the area around the eyes and rinsing the eye itself after the procedure. The liquid needs to be warmed up a little so as not to catch a cold.
- Bag for disposal of used material.
Expert opinion
Ermolaeva Tatyana Borisovna
Ophthalmologist of the highest category, Candidate of Medical Sciences
By stroking you need to prepare the skin for the massage procedure.
Features and contraindications for massage
There are situations in which massage of the tear duct is not only useless, but also harmful. For example, an acute form of the disease, when all the symptoms are pronounced, the canal is completely clogged with pus. In this case, only complex treatment with probing will help. Hydrocele of the lacrimal sac is a complicated form of dacryocystitis, in which massage is not effective. For a positive result, you need to repeat the procedure at least 5 times a day. For children, it is best to perform massage manipulations while they are crying. Consultation with a pediatrician and ophthalmologist will help you learn additional massage techniques. If you waste time and do not start massaging the canal immediately, the pus becomes dense, and this brings severe pain. If massage has not helped you for two weeks, then seek help from a specialist, and you may be prescribed drug therapy or sounding.
Massage of the lacrimal canal will help avoid possible serious complications only if it is started on time. Carefully monitor the condition of your eyes and vision, and be sure to follow the rules of hygiene. Women are not recommended to use cosmetics of dubious quality; choose products with the most organic content. Tired eyes at the end of the day may be a symptom of trachoma
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Indications and contraindications for adults
After the necessary examination, the ophthalmologist prescribes therapeutic therapy for the adult; in some cases, this may also include massage procedures.
Indications
Like any other medical procedure, massage has its own indications for its implementation . Let's look at them:
- the presence of a membrane is detected in the lacrimal canal;
- pus accumulates in the corner of the eye (lacrimal sac);
- stagnation has occurred in the nasolacrimal duct due to difficulty in the passage of tear fluid;
- cloudiness of the tear fluid is observed;
- redness and swelling in the area of the lacrimal sac;
- if tears come out of only one eye, while the other remains dry and inflamed.
Contraindications
No matter how effective the massage procedure is, in some cases it may be contraindicated for various reasons. And sometimes massage is categorically unacceptable for treatment.
Let's take a look at some of the contraindications:
- if an adult has dropsy (hydrops) of the lacrimal sac;
- a contraindication may be the presence of phlegmon in the lacrimal sac.
Preparing for a massage
In order for an eye massage to be done correctly, and most importantly effectively, you need to carefully prepare for this procedure. In this case, it is necessary to prepare not only the child, but also the mother. Before performing the massage, the mother must do the following:
- First you need to trim the nail plates, they need to be cut short so as not to harm the baby’s eyes.
- Next, you need to wash your hands well.
- If the surface of the palms is cold, then it needs to be pre-warmed. The baby should feel comfortable and feel the warmth of his mother’s hands.
- Before performing, fingers should be lubricated with a small amount of baby cream or oil. This is required so that during this procedure the finger can easily slide over the surface of the skin. Remains of cream or oil should be removed with a napkin. It is important that the cosmetic product does not get into the baby’s eye, otherwise it can cause severe irritation and redness.
In what cases may it not help and what to do then?
If after 2 weeks the massage has not helped, there is no point in delaying the probing procedure - this will inevitably lead to complications. After the process of probing and piercing the film, massage is carried out during the first weeks as a prevention of relapse, which is associated with the adhesive process that may eventually form.
If the effectiveness of probing is not felt and does not bring positive results, then dacryocystitis has formed due to other factors , including:
- deformation of the nasal septum;
- pathology of the tear duct development;
- rare genetic pathologies.
If therapy does not show any results before the age of six, emergency surgery is required.
In cases where minimally invasive manipulations by an ophthalmologist have not shown a high level of effectiveness, at the age of 6 years children are prescribed a surgical operation: intubation of the lacrimal ducts or dacryocystorhinostomy - a complex operation that involves restoring the connection of the lacrimal sac with the nasal cavity.
In case of an established abscess or phlegmon with fluctuation in the area of the lacrimal sac, a purulent formation is opened and general antibiotic therapy is prescribed using broad-spectrum drugs.
Below you can see a photo of a massage of the nasolacrimal duct in an infant.
What you need to know to give a massage correctly
Massage helps well at the initial stage of treatment of children diagnosed with dacryocystitis. There is nothing particularly complicated about massage techniques. If you know the rules, everything will work out great. Just remember that massaging a child’s face requires caution and you should not put in significant effort. And, of course, under no circumstances should you influence the eyeball.
Fact: it is easiest to “break through” the gelatinous plug in the nasolacrimal duct when the child is crying, since the tension creates the necessary internal pressure.
The main features of lacrimal duct massage in newborns:
- period - 2 weeks;
- frequency - 5-6 times during the day, before feeding;
- method - with index fingers;
- character - jerky;
- direction - from the corners of the eyes to the wings of the nose.
Before starting the massage, thoroughly wash (ideally disinfect) your hands and pay attention to your nails - they should be as short as possible so as not to cause discomfort to the child. During the procedure, you can also use thin sterile gloves.
How to massage?
Let's start stimulating the canal designed to drain tear fluid. With the help of a massage procedure, the lacrimal sac will be emptied of accumulated purulent formation.
If a person performs a massage procedure on himself, then it is more convenient to apply pressure with the index finger, and if he is providing medical assistance to another person, with the thumb.
Massage scheme:
- Place your finger slightly above the upper corner of the eye. Between the eyebrow and the inner corner of the eye there is a lacrimal sac, and it is this place that will need to be affected.
- We carry out a slight sliding movement with our finger, but with some effort, from the wing of the nose, walking along the location of the lacrimal sac, and reach the area under the eye.
- Gently squeeze out the purulent discharge with a cotton swab, rinse the eye with furatsilin solution and wipe with a sterile napkin.
- Apply anti-inflammatory drops to the eyeball as prescribed by the doctor. True, both eyes need to be dripped if only one of them was affected. This is done as a preventative measure.
It is recommended to repeat jerking movements 10-15 times, and to obtain a positive result, this should be done 4-5 times a day for 1-2 weeks. Depends on the degree of neglect of the situation. Such actions will increase the pressure inside the nasolacrimal duct, which will lead to rupture of the membrane membrane.
Expert opinion
Ermolaeva Tatyana Borisovna
Ophthalmologist of the highest category, Candidate of Medical Sciences
If you strictly follow the massage instructions, you can get rid of this problem using a conservative method, avoiding surgical intervention.
Features of the massage procedure
To make the massage effective, you should know the following rules:
Did massage help you in the treatment of dacryocystitis?
Not really
- Before starting the procedure, consult a doctor to explain all the aspects of performing a massage for dacryocystitis.
- The massage procedure should be carried out only on a flat and hard surface.
- For this procedure, speed of movement is important - quickly, but not too much pressure on the eye area.
- Each movement is repeated for about 5 seconds.
Expert opinion
Ermolaeva Tatyana Borisovna
Ophthalmologist of the highest category, Candidate of Medical Sciences
Study the information about the location of the nasolacrimal ducts in advance. This will make things much easier during the procedure.
What to do if massage does not work
For newborns, massage can rarely become the main means of therapy. No matter how effective it may be, this procedure completely helps only in 16% of all cases. Therefore, it is imperative to regularly visit an ophthalmologist so that he can prescribe a number of necessary medications. The purulent contents from the eye are sent for microbiological examination. Based on the results, it is further determined which antibacterial drops need to be used.
Important information: it is best not to use standard Albucid. It is able to crystallize and completely block the tear ducts.
If, after two weeks after a series of procedures, the baby does not show improvement, then you should stop the massage. The only way out of this situation is to probe the nasolacrimal duct. This procedure is performed on an outpatient basis and does not cause pain or discomfort. Piercing is done using a thin probe. After probing, the massage should be repeated again to avoid repeated adhesions.
Symptoms
In order to accurately understand whether a child has dacryocystitis, it is necessary to consider its signs. Typically, this disease causes the following symptoms:
- Stagnation of tears.
- Unilateral or bilateral lacrimation may occur. This symptom is the first sign of the disease and may be protracted.
- When an infection occurs, pus and mucus accumulation are released. At first, the discharged contents are collected only in the area of the inner corners of the eyes. If treatment is not provided in time, the amount of mucus and pus increases, and the child’s eyelashes and eyes stick together.
- Sometimes there may be redness and inflammation of the conjunctiva of the inner corner of the eye.
- A separation of tears appears with cloudy contents of mucus and pus.
To accurately understand whether a child has dacryocystitis, you should consult a doctor. The specialist will be able to conduct an examination, examine the child and make an accurate diagnosis.
Only a doctor can accurately determine dacryocystitis in a child or another type of disease.
If the procedure does not help
Massage rarely becomes the main means of treatment. Only with its help can you completely get rid of the problem only in 10-15% of cases. Thus, the mandatory conditions are constant medical supervision and the prescription of appropriate medications.
By the way: discharge from the lacrimal sac is sent for bacteriological examination to determine what antibacterial eye drops are needed. It is better not to use albucid (sodium sulfacyl), which is familiar to many: it may crystallize, and it will further block the tear pathways.
If there is no improvement after two weeks, you no longer need to carry out home treatments so as not to complicate the situation. The only thing that can help in this case is probing the lacrimal canal, that is, piercing the film with a thin probe. This operation is performed on an outpatient basis and is not painful for young children. To avoid recurrence of adhesions, you need to learn how to massage the lacrimal canal in newborns. The procedure will need to be carried out for another week after probing.
If even piercing with a probe does not work, it means that the blockage of the lacrimal canal is due to a curvature of the nasal septum, possibly due to improper development of the nasolacrimal canal or other reasons. One way or another, specialists will determine how further treatment will proceed.
