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Clogged Tear Duct Or Pink Eye, How To Tell The Difference?
Key Points
– Conjunctiva is a layer covering the inner eyelid along with white-portion i.e., sclera of your eye. It is a transparent membrane. Pink eye or conjunctivitis is a condition wherein your conjunctiva sees an inflammation. You may also experience redness, and a watery discharge
– Excessive blockage of your tear duct causes a clogged tear duct. Nasolacrimal duct obstruction is the other name for this condition
– Conjunctivitis i.e. pink eye and a clogged tear duct share a few common symptoms like excessive tearing and redness. However, a clogged tear duct causes tearing without redness; conjunctivitis is often associated with discharge of pus and redness
– When there is an obstruction in your tear drainage system it causes a blocked tear duct i.e. nasolacrimal duct obstruction. This prevents tears from properly draining. Moreover, it leads to symptoms like irritation, watery eyes, and probable infections
If you have conjunctivitis, you could experience a few common symptoms like redness or swelling of the white portion of your eye or your inner eyelid. Discharge off your eyes is transparent i.e. clear, watery, yellowish, or thick. In addition, when you wake up early morning, you tend to experience a crusting sensation inside your eyelids. You might witness blurry eyesight and painful eyes, with extra-sensitivity to light.
A pink eye resulting from microbial infections is contagious. This condition requires immediate consultation with an ophthalmologist.
Clogged tear ducts is a condition that blocks your tear ducts because of infection, injury, inflammation, or rarely, a tumor. However, there could be other factors causing blocked tear ducts. Certain medical conditions abnormality of nasal structure can result in blocked tear ducts; a few meds may also trigger this.
A few symptoms of a clogged tear duct are watery eyes, redness, or irritation of eyes / eyelids (from rubbing), excessive tearing (even when not crying), thick, greenish discharge, crusting on eyelashes, especially during morning, etc.
The obvious differences between a clogged tear duct and pink eye are as follows:
Conjunctivitis – a normal part of blocked tear ducts, appears to be pink or red due to the inflammation on the white part of your eye. Any viral or bacterial infections, irritants, or allergies could also be a reason for your pink eyes.
Clogged tear duct – is a condition where your tear duct gets congested. This pauses or blocks the normal draining activity of your tears. Therefore, tears build-up and spill over your eyes. This can result in irritation, watery eyes, and increases the risk of infection by clogging your tear duct.
You can approach an ophthalmologist if symptoms for clogged tear duct remain for long. In addition, if you find pus, swelling, or severity in redness, you have to contact your doctor immediately.
Prevention of tear duct blockages
Onset of tear duct blockages is unpredictable. However, you can control a few things that could lead to the blockage. You can avoid an infection by following some safety measures. You can:
- Refrain from rubbing your eyes or touching them
- Clean your contact lenses frequently according to your ophthalmologist’s instructions or guidance
- Replace the cosmetics you buy like the eyeliner or eye shadow, mascara, etc., once in three to six months
- Avoid sharing products like your eye drops or any cosmetics
- Wash your hands regularly
Is Prevention Of Watery Eyes a Possibility?
You can follow a few home remedies for how to stop watery eyes. You can apply a warm compress, check for any underlying allergies or dry eyes, use eye drops with lubrication, avoid exposure to toxic smoke and wind that cause irritation to your eyes, etc. In addition, you make alter your lifestyle accordingly. Some home remedies include:
- Warm compresses – cover your eyes with a warm damp cloth for nearly 10 minutes. This helps unclog blocked tear ducts.
- Eye drops with lubrication – you can use eye drops with lubricating effect or artificial tears to prevent dryness in your eyes caused by excessive tearing.
- Hydration – drink plenty of water or fluids and staying hydrated throughout is essential for your overall eye health
- Limit screen time: – restricting screen time protects your eyes and improves vision. You can take frequent breaks from continuously staring at the screen and focus on other activities
- Protect your eyes – you can avoid direct sunlight or bright light by wearing sunglasses or protective eyewear while at outdoors
Choose The Best Treatment Option
You have to opt for a suitable treatment plan best-tailored to your preference to cure your clogged tear duct or conjunctivitis.
You can consult with your ophthalmologist if you experience persistent spells of watery eyes. You can even seek medical help if you have severe pain or redness in your eyes, a feeling of something stuck in your eye, etc. When your home remedies fail or did not show the expected result, you can check with your caregiver for other treatment options.
If you suffer from bacterial conjunctivitis, your caregiver will prescribe certain antibiotic eye drops or ointments. For viral conjunctivitis from herpes simplex virus you can use antiviral eye drops. For allergic conjunctivitis you can go for oral antihistamines or antihistamine eye drops. Moreover, you can use artificial tears which will help lubricate your dry eyes and relieves dryness. You can even try a warm or cold compress to overcome any discomfort.
But if you have a clogged tear duct, you can use warm compresses or try a gentle massage. However, if all these remedies fail, you can approach your caregiver or ophthalmologist who will suggest dilation, irrigation, or probing to clear the blockage. If the condition is severe, then your caregiver might want you to undergo a surgery like Dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) – a surgical procedure done when your nasolacrimal duct is blocked, to create a new drainage pathway for tears.
Your caregiver will address your concerns and provide you the best treatment for needful relief.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Global Discount Drugs follows sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies and information from top institutions.
URLs Reffered
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pink-eye/symptoms-causes/syc-20376355
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/pink-eye-conjunctivitis
- https://www.cdc.gov/conjunctivitis/causes/index.html
- https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/pink-eye-conjunctivitis
- https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/pink-eye
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17260-blocked-tear-duct-nasolacrimal-duct-obstruction
- https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/blocked-tear-duct
- https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/tear-duct-blockage.html
- https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-is-blocked-tear-duct
- https://aapos.org/glossary/nasolacrimal-duct-obstruction
Mike is a licensed pharmacist with over 10 years of experience in community pharmacy management. He is dedicated to helping people understand their medications and improve their overall health. Mike enjoys reading medical journals and sharing practical health tips. Connect with him on LinkedIn for the latest in pharmacy practices."
Key Points
– Conjunctiva is a layer covering the inner eyelid along with white-portion i.e., sclera of your eye. It is a transparent membrane. Pink eye or conjunctivitis is a condition wherein your conjunctiva sees an inflammation. You may also experience redness, and a watery discharge
– Excessive blockage of your tear duct causes a clogged tear duct. Nasolacrimal duct obstruction is the other name for this condition
– Conjunctivitis i.e. pink eye and a clogged tear duct share a few common symptoms like excessive tearing and redness. However, a clogged tear duct causes tearing without redness; conjunctivitis is often associated with discharge of pus and redness
– When there is an obstruction in your tear drainage system it causes a blocked tear duct i.e. nasolacrimal duct obstruction. This prevents tears from properly draining. Moreover, it leads to symptoms like irritation, watery eyes, and probable infections
If you have conjunctivitis, you could experience a few common symptoms like redness or swelling of the white portion of your eye or your inner eyelid. Discharge off your eyes is transparent i.e. clear, watery, yellowish, or thick. In addition, when you wake up early morning, you tend to experience a crusting sensation inside your eyelids. You might witness blurry eyesight and painful eyes, with extra-sensitivity to light.
A pink eye resulting from microbial infections is contagious. This condition requires immediate consultation with an ophthalmologist.
Clogged tear ducts is a condition that blocks your tear ducts because of infection, injury, inflammation, or rarely, a tumor. However, there could be other factors causing blocked tear ducts. Certain medical conditions abnormality of nasal structure can result in blocked tear ducts; a few meds may also trigger this.
A few symptoms of a clogged tear duct are watery eyes, redness, or irritation of eyes / eyelids (from rubbing), excessive tearing (even when not crying), thick, greenish discharge, crusting on eyelashes, especially during morning, etc.
The obvious differences between a clogged tear duct and pink eye are as follows:
Conjunctivitis – a normal part of blocked tear ducts, appears to be pink or red due to the inflammation on the white part of your eye. Any viral or bacterial infections, irritants, or allergies could also be a reason for your pink eyes.
Clogged tear duct – is a condition where your tear duct gets congested. This pauses or blocks the normal draining activity of your tears. Therefore, tears build-up and spill over your eyes. This can result in irritation, watery eyes, and increases the risk of infection by clogging your tear duct.
You can approach an ophthalmologist if symptoms for clogged tear duct remain for long. In addition, if you find pus, swelling, or severity in redness, you have to contact your doctor immediately.
Prevention of tear duct blockages
Onset of tear duct blockages is unpredictable. However, you can control a few things that could lead to the blockage. You can avoid an infection by following some safety measures. You can:
- Refrain from rubbing your eyes or touching them
- Clean your contact lenses frequently according to your ophthalmologist’s instructions or guidance
- Replace the cosmetics you buy like the eyeliner or eye shadow, mascara, etc., once in three to six months
- Avoid sharing products like your eye drops or any cosmetics
- Wash your hands regularly
Is Prevention Of Watery Eyes a Possibility?
You can follow a few home remedies for how to stop watery eyes. You can apply a warm compress, check for any underlying allergies or dry eyes, use eye drops with lubrication, avoid exposure to toxic smoke and wind that cause irritation to your eyes, etc. In addition, you make alter your lifestyle accordingly. Some home remedies include:
- Warm compresses – cover your eyes with a warm damp cloth for nearly 10 minutes. This helps unclog blocked tear ducts.
- Eye drops with lubrication – you can use eye drops with lubricating effect or artificial tears to prevent dryness in your eyes caused by excessive tearing.
- Hydration – drink plenty of water or fluids and staying hydrated throughout is essential for your overall eye health
- Limit screen time: – restricting screen time protects your eyes and improves vision. You can take frequent breaks from continuously staring at the screen and focus on other activities
- Protect your eyes – you can avoid direct sunlight or bright light by wearing sunglasses or protective eyewear while at outdoors
Choose The Best Treatment Option
You have to opt for a suitable treatment plan best-tailored to your preference to cure your clogged tear duct or conjunctivitis.
You can consult with your ophthalmologist if you experience persistent spells of watery eyes. You can even seek medical help if you have severe pain or redness in your eyes, a feeling of something stuck in your eye, etc. When your home remedies fail or did not show the expected result, you can check with your caregiver for other treatment options.
If you suffer from bacterial conjunctivitis, your caregiver will prescribe certain antibiotic eye drops or ointments. For viral conjunctivitis from herpes simplex virus you can use antiviral eye drops. For allergic conjunctivitis you can go for oral antihistamines or antihistamine eye drops. Moreover, you can use artificial tears which will help lubricate your dry eyes and relieves dryness. You can even try a warm or cold compress to overcome any discomfort.
But if you have a clogged tear duct, you can use warm compresses or try a gentle massage. However, if all these remedies fail, you can approach your caregiver or ophthalmologist who will suggest dilation, irrigation, or probing to clear the blockage. If the condition is severe, then your caregiver might want you to undergo a surgery like Dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) – a surgical procedure done when your nasolacrimal duct is blocked, to create a new drainage pathway for tears.
Your caregiver will address your concerns and provide you the best treatment for needful relief.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Global Discount Drugs follows sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies and information from top institutions.
URLs Reffered
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pink-eye/symptoms-causes/syc-20376355
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/pink-eye-conjunctivitis
- https://www.cdc.gov/conjunctivitis/causes/index.html
- https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/pink-eye-conjunctivitis
- https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/pink-eye
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17260-blocked-tear-duct-nasolacrimal-duct-obstruction
- https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/blocked-tear-duct
- https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/tear-duct-blockage.html
- https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-is-blocked-tear-duct
- https://aapos.org/glossary/nasolacrimal-duct-obstruction
Mike is a licensed pharmacist with over 10 years of experience in community pharmacy management. He is dedicated to helping people understand their medications and improve their overall health. Mike enjoys reading medical journals and sharing practical health tips. Connect with him on LinkedIn for the latest in pharmacy practices."
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