Do you have a lot of tears and eye mucus? You may have this eye disease

65-year-old Granny Liu (pseudonym) lives in Wuchang. A few years ago, she had symptoms of unexplained tears in both eyes. During this period, as the temperature dropped, Granny Liu's "crying" frequency became higher and higher, and there was always endless eye mucus in the corners of her eyes. Her husband was worried that there was something wrong with her eyes, so he quickly took her to the Aier Eye Hospital affiliated to Wuhan University for treatment. "Now I have to carry tissues with me every time I go out, and I have to wipe my tears every few minutes. Doctor, is this a disease?" Granny Liu asked anxiously. After a series of examinations, the doctor found that Granny Liu was suffering from chronic dacryocystitis and needed surgical treatment. Xie Yangyang, attending physician of the tear duct/eye and nose related specialist department of Aier Eye Hospital affiliated to Wuhan University, said: The tear duct is like the sewer of the eye. Once this sewer is blocked, tears cannot be discharged normally, and the patient will shed tears uncontrollably. As the tears stay in the tear duct for a longer time, the internal environment of the tear duct is destroyed, and then bacterial or fungal infections occur, secretions are produced, and chronic dacryocystitis is formed.

What is chronic dacryocystitis?

In ophthalmology, chronic dacryocystitis is a common disease type. This disease is more common in middle-aged and elderly women, and is often secondary to trachoma, tear duct trauma, rhinitis, and nasal polyps. The main cause of the disease is due to the obstruction or stenosis of the nasolacrimal duct, which prevents tears from being discharged and retains them in the lacrimal sac for a long time. Bacteria in the tears, such as pneumococci and staphylococci, breed here, irritate the lacrimal sac wall, and cause chronic inflammation of the lacrimal sac mucosa, thereby producing mucous or purulent secretions.

How to deal with chronic dacryocystitis?

(1) Patients with chronic dacryocystitis should pay attention to eye and nasal hygiene, do not rub their eyes with dirty hands or handkerchiefs, and avoid washing their faces with dirty towels;

(2) Those with trachoma, conjunctivitis, nasal hypertrophy or chronic rhinitis should seek treatment as soon as possible;

(3) Avoid spicy and irritating foods, especially those who have suffered from eye diseases.

Zhang Jiang, deputy chief physician, member of the systemic diseases-related ophthalmology group of the ophthalmology branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, executive deputy leader of the tear duct group of Aier Eye Hospital Group, and director of the tear duct/eye and nose-related specialist department of Aier Eye Hospital affiliated to Wuhan University, reminded: chronic dacryocystitis has little effect on vision in the early stage, but if it is left untreated, many chronic dacryocystitis can easily develop into acute dacryocystitis, orbital cellulitis, etc. If elderly friends have repeated tears or even pus in their eyes, they must go to the hospital for medical examination as soon as possible to avoid delaying the disease and causing serious consequences.