Dr. Komarovsky on the massage of the lacrimal canal in newborns

Obstruction of the nasolacrimal canal is a problem that affects about 5% of newborns. This congenital pathology can go away on its own, even before going to a doctor. Such cases are not reflected in this medical statistics. About them just do not know. Every twentieth infant who is given such a diagnosis is cases where the blockage itself has not passed. One of the ways to cope with the problem is a special massage of the lacrimal canal. About how to do it and what should be considered, says the famous pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky.

With the normal structure of the eye, the eyeball when blinking is wetted with a tear. This protects the eyes from drying out and provides a visual function. The tear, so necessary in this process, is produced in the lacrimal gland, accumulates in the lacrimal sac, which falls through the canaliculi. Other pathways (nasolacrimal) exist so that the tear fluid can flow through the nasal cavity. A good example is sniffing while crying.

When obstruction of the lacrimal or lacrimal canal outflow is difficult. As a result, the child often develops signs of conjunctivitis. Parents who are unaware of the true causes of the illness treat the child with antiseptics, wash their eyes with tea brewing, and so on. It gives relief - true, temporary. Then the eye inflammation returns.

Dacryocystitis (this is the scientific name of the problem) can be unilateral or bilateral. It is not inherited and is completely independent of the sex of the child. In both boys and girls, occlusion of the lacrimal canaliculus occurs with the same frequency.

Conservative treatment is prescribed to children in the first place. One of the most successful methods is massage in the projection of the lacrimal canal. For processing use antiseptics. If the treatment does not help until a certain age (in ophthalmic practice, it is usually 7-8 months), eye doctors recommend surgical intervention to the parents to remove excess film, which interferes with normal tearing. A probing procedure may be assigned, in which the patency of the closed lacrimal canal is restored.

Eye massage with obstruction of the lacrimal or nasolacrimal canal Yevgeny Komarovsky considers the only gentle and effective treatment for babies up to one year old. Usually, the doctor says, this is enough.

Before the start of the manipulation, the mother should carefully remove all manifestations of manicure from her hands. Nails should be cut short to inadvertently not to injure the eyes of the baby. It is necessary to do massage only with clean hands, it is necessary to wash them with hot water with baby soap, and then it is desirable to treat with a universal antiseptic - for example, “Miramistin».

First you need to free the eyes of the crumbs from the accumulated stagnant discharge and pus, if any. To do this, take cotton pads or make tampons. Each eye has its own tampon or disk, treatment with one disk of both eyes is strictly prohibited.

The treatment solution must be antiseptic. These properties have a decoction of chamomile pharmacy, furatsilina solution (weak, at a concentration of not more than 1: 5000). Careful movements of the moistened swab should be clear from the discharge of the eye (towards the nose, from the outer edge to the inner).

Once the eye is clean, you can gently proceed to massage manipulations. To this end, Komarovsky advises with his index finger to grope a knob located in the inner corner of the eye, at the junction with the bridge of the nose. This is the tear bag. The finger should be slightly displaced above this point and make 8-10 movements downward, towards the nose, along the anatomical path of the lacrimal tubule itself. Between movements you should not make pauses, let them follow one after the other.

Komarovsky advises on the lacrimal pouch itself to lightly press with a vibrating motion and only then lower the finger down.

At the first movements, pus that has accumulated in the lacrimal canal can come out. If this happens, you should stop and remove the pus as described above using an antiseptic. Then you can continue the massage procedure.

Usually, doctors recommend after a massage to drop drops to a child. If there is purulent discharge - antibacterial, which will appoint a physician.

The procedure can be repeated 5-7 times a day. In the acute stage of the disease, the course of massage lasts at least 14 days. With recurring inflammation of the eye massage can be made a permanent procedure and make it to the child daily (1-2 times).

You will learn how to massage the lacrimal canal to newborns in the following video.

Do not self-medicate. The choice of drops or ointments in the eyes with antibiotics is a doctor’s business. It is advisable to pre-test for bacterial culture to pick up a drug that acts against specific bacteria that cause inflammation in your child. The frequency of instillation is also determined by the doctor. Do not drip drugs after each massage, because the procedures per day can be up to 8.

If the massage technique remains unclear or in doubt, the mother can always contact the ophthalmologist in the clinic, who will show her how to carry out the procedure.

If there is no strong suppuration, Komarovsky advises starting massage with a light warm compress on the eyes. So the effectiveness of the procedure will be significantly higher.

Opinion of Dr. Komarovsky about the massage of the tear channel in newborns you will learn from the following video.