Your child always seems to have tears streaming down their face. And they can’t stop rubbing their eyes. But they aren’t sad — so what’s going on?
Babies usually don’t make tears for at least a few weeks after birth.
After that time your child may have a blocked tear duct if they have:
- Eye mucus or discharge with a yellowish color.
- Redness or crusting around their eye.
- Tears that build up near the inner corner of their eye but don’t drain.
- Tears that run down your their cheek when they’re not crying (epiphora).
- Crusting and discharge on their eyelashes when they wake up in the morning.
اصولا علل اشک ریزش را می توان این طور دستهبندی کرد :
1) تولید اشک زیادتر از حد طبیعی باشد (وجود ایرادی در غدد اصلی سازنده اشک)
2) اشکال در مسیر خروج اشک باشد که اصطلاحا انسداد مجرا نامیده میشود (دلیل آن اختلالی در کار خروج اشک از چشم و هدایت آن به داخل بینی است.)
یکی از علل مهمی که شیرخواران را به مطب چشم پزشک میآورند، همین اشکریزش است. حدود 10 درصد نوزادانی که متولد میشوند، مبتلا به انسداد مجرای اشکی هستند، یعنی موقع تولد، هنوز مجرای اشکی آنها به داخل بینی باز نشده و این شیرخواران با اشکریزش و گاهی با ترشحات چرکی مواجه میشوند.
تجمع مواد کنار مژهها و گاه چسبیدن مژهها به هم خصوصا هنگام خواب و لزوم دستکاری پلکها در موقع بیدار شدن از مشکلات عمدهای است که موجب نگرانی والدین میشود و معمولا مجبورند پلکها را تمیز کنند تا چشمها از یکدیگر بازگردد.

The most common cause is tear duct (the tube that drains tears away from the eyes) blockage. This condition occurs in up to 20% of children in the first year of life, as the tear duct is slow to develop or the lower end of the tract is not fully opened.
Watery eyes can be due to many factors and conditions.
In infants, persistent watery eyes, often with some matter, are commonly the result of blocked tear ducts. The tear ducts don't produce tears, but rather carry away tears, similar to how a storm drain carries away rainwater. Tears normally drain into your nose through tiny openings (puncta) in the inner part of the lids near the nose. In babies, the tear duct may not be fully open and functioning for the first several months of life.
In older adults, persistent watery eyes may occur as the aging skin of the eyelids sags away from the eyeball, allowing tears to accumulate and flow out.
Sometimes, excess tear production may cause watery eyes as well.
Allergies or viral infections (conjunctivitis), as well as any kind of inflammation, may cause watery eyes for a few days or so.
Medication causes
- Chemotherapy drugs
- Epinephrine
- Eyedrops, especially echothiophate iodide and pilocarpine
Common causes
- Allergies
- Blepharitis (which is eyelid inflammation)
- Blocked tear duct
- Common cold
- Corneal abrasion (scratch): First aid
- Corneal ulcer
- Dry eyes (caused by decreased production of tears)
- Ectropion (a condition in which the eyelid turns outward)
- Entropion (a condition in which the eyelid turns inward)
- Foreign object in the eye: First aid
- Hay fever (allergic rhinitis)
- Ingrown eyelash (trichiasis)
- Keratitis (which is inflammation of the cornea)
- Pink eye (conjunctivitis)
- Stye (sty) (a red, painful lump near the edge of your eyelid)
- Tear duct infection
- Trachoma
Other causes
- Bell's palsy
- Blow to the eye or other eye injury
- Burns
- Chemical splash in the eye: First aid
- Chronic sinusitis
- Granulomatosis with polyangiitis
- Inflammatory diseases
- Radiation therapy
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Sarcoidosis
- Sjogren's syndrome
- Stevens-Johnson syndrome
- Surgery of the eye or nose
- Tumors affecting the tear drainage system
به طور کلی انسداد مادرزادی مجرای اشکی در بچهها به سه صورت دیده میشود:
- اولین حالت، اشک ریزش مداوم بدون همراه بودن ترشحات چرکی است.
- دوم، اشکریزش مداوم همراه با ترشحات چرکی به خصوص هنگام ماساژ کیسه اشکی است که این بیانگر انسداد کامل مجرای اشکی میباشد (این فرم شایعی است).
- سوم، اشکریزش متناوب به خصوص هنگام سرماخوردگی است که بیانگر مشکلات بینی می باشد که هنگام سرماخوردگی شدت یافته و به طور موقت مجرای اشکی را میبندد.
هریک از سه حالت فوق باید توسط والدین مورد پیگیری قرار گیرد و بچه توسط چشمپزشک معاینه شود.
معمولا این بچهها نسبت به نور حساس نیستند، ولی قرنیه، شفاف و کره چشم سالم است و تنها انسداد مجرا مطرح است.
حدود 90 درصد این بچهها تا سن یک سالگی انسدادشان برطرف میشود و والدین نباید نگران باشند. تنها لازم است معاینه شوند و دستور ماساژ صحیح و درمان طبی توسط پزشک معالج به والدین داده شود.
هیچ اقدام خاصی برای باز شدن مجرا لازم نیست و نباید در درمان جراحی سونداژ بیمورد عجله شود و باید منتظر بمانیم تا مجرا باز شود. تنها در موارد عفونت حاد کیسه اشکی است که سونداژ را زودتر از موعد توصیه میکنیم.
سونداژ یک عمل کاملا ساده و موفقیتآمیز است که در بیمارستان تحت بیهوشی عمومی انجام میشود.
بهترین زمان انجام سونداژ حوالی یک سالگی است و تاخیر میتواند شانس موفقیت را کم کند، ولی تا پنج سالگی هم ، بهتر است اولین اقدام سونداژ (به تنهایی) و یا سونداژ همراه با لولهگذاری باشد. eResearch by Navid Ajamin
Teary eyes: other causes
Another common cause of tearing in children is epiblepharon, where an extra horizontal fold of muscle causes the lashes to turn inwards.
This is usually more common in the lower lids. The constant rubbing of the lashes against the cornea causes irritation, tearing, redness and glare, and increases the risk of scarring and infection of the cornea. Mild cases can resolve with age as the facial structures elongate and mature, while severe cases need to be corrected with surgery. Surgery is usually performed to direct the lashes outwards, away from the cornea.
Viral or bacterial infections of the eye can also cause tearing. These are usually transient and resolve once the acute infection resolves. Viral conjunctivitis can be preceded by a cold or there may be a positive contact history with someone who has a similar infection. However, if a newborn
has red and sticky eyes from birth, bacterial infections such as chlamydia have to suspected. This is usually passed from the mother to the baby through the birth canal. Hence patients with severe conjunctivitis should be evaluated by an eye specialist, who will advise on the appropriate treatment.
A rare but serious cause of tearing in infants that needs to be excluded is congenital glaucoma. It is commonly diagnosed between the ages of three and six months and typically presents with – apart from tearing – over-sensitivity to light, involuntary closure of the eyes, redness, cloudiness or enlargement of the eyes. A thorough examination of the eye pressure and other parts of the eye is needed to diagnose
the condition and its severity.
Delayed diagnosis or treatment of this condition would result in potentially irreversible blindness.
Generally, once the more serious causes have been excluded, tearing in children is a relatively harmless condition that can be managed conservatively. Unless there is a definite bacterial infection, usually just keeping the lids clean and wiping away any discharge without antibiotic eyedrops is sufficient.
Reference:
- eas.clinic/pdf/teary-eyes-in-children.pdf
- mayoclinic.org/symptoms/watery-eyes/basics/causes/sym-20050821
- my.clevelandclinic.org/pediatrics/services/blocked-tear-duct-treatment