The treatment of simple epiphora or epiphora complicated by dacryocystitis occurring soon after birth is based on the premise that an obstruction is present at some point along the nasolacrimal duct. The types of obstruction may well be considered as (1) anatomic and (2) accidental.
The anatomic obstructive agent has been observed to be (1) an incomplete or delayed perforation of a thin membrane separating the lower end of the duct from the inferior meatus or (2) a congenital narrowing of the duct or a stricture in the canaliculus or at the entrance or exit of the lacrimal sac or within the nasolacrimal duct. It is difficult to see how employment of anything short of mechanical means would be logical treatment in a case of dacryocystitis resulting from an anatomic obstruction. In a case of this type, therefore, failure to effect a cure by digital pressure, supplemented in certain instances