Prevalence of punctal stenosis as a cause of obstructive epiphora

Abstract

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of punctal stenosis in the patients presenting with eye watering due to obstructive epiphora. Patients and methods This descriptive, cross-sectional, prospective study included 75 eyes of 51 patients. The enrolled patients were classified into two groups; group 1 that included patients with punctal stenosis and group 2 that enrolled patients with obstructive epiphora due to other causes. Age subgrouping was performed to determine the prevalence of punctal stenosis among various age groups. Results The mean age of the patients was 52.32±16.19 years. Punctal stenosis was the most encountered cause of obstructive epiphora (32 patients=62.75%) in the study population. Punctal stenosis was also the most prevalent cause of obstructive epiphora (56.3%) in the oldest age subgroup (>60 years). Conclusion Punctal stenosis is the most common cause of obstructive epiphora in patients presenting with eye watering. Increasing age is the most important determinant of punctal stenosis.

Keywords

• eye watering
• age and epiphora
• punctal stenosis
• tearing
• punctal stenosis and age