Dr. Lewen spends about 30 to 45 minutes with you for a comprehensive consultation to evaluate your condition and describe the recommended surgery for tearing disorders.
Punctoplasty is performed in-office by numbing the tear duct area and administering medication to open the tear ducts. A specialized tool is used to remove excess tissue from the opening.
The technique is known as “probe and tube” requires the use of general anesthesia. The procedure takes about 15 minutes to insert a small tube into the tear duct that enhances the opening. After approximately three months, the tube is removed from the tear duct. A more extensive probe and the tube is the dacryocystorhinostomy, or DCR, that requires an external incision prior to tube placement. A variation of the DCR is the conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy, or CDCR, that modifies the tear duct drainage to pass through the nasal cavity.