How Do You Unclog A Tear Duct (2024)

Dr. Kumar later explained it simply: The tear duct is just a tiny pipe. Most clogs open with warmth and massage. Stubborn ones need a probe. And the very last ones need a little tube as a placeholder. But almost every duct can be unclogged. You just have to be patient and know which tool to use.

Maya thought about a tube in her face for three months. She thought about the wire. Then she thought about waking up every single morning with her eye glued shut. “Do the wire,” she said. The procedure took exactly four minutes. Maya sat in a chair that reclined like a dentist’s. Numbing drops made her eye feel like a glass marble. Dr. Kumar held a tiny instrument that looked like a mechanical pencil. “Look up,” she said. Maya looked at the ceiling tiles. She felt a single, quick pressure —like someone flicking the inside of her nose. Then Dr. Kumar said, “All done.” how do you unclog a tear duct

For months, the pediatrician said it was a “blocked tear duct.” It was common in newborns, less common in first graders, but not unheard of. “Massage it,” the doctor said, showing Sarah how to press her index finger against the bridge of Maya’s nose, right where the eye meets the bone. “Push downward, toward the nose. You’re trying to pop a tiny, stubborn balloon.” Stubborn ones need a probe

Sarah laughed and hugged her. “You never were.” You just have to be patient and know which tool to use