Tear lacrimal canaliculi injury

Lacrimal canaliculi injury can be occur in head and neck injury and have to specially suspected in patient that have laceration wound at eyelid involve lid margin.

See the picture of lacrimal duct system, the vertical part of canaliculi about 2 mm and horizontal part about 8 mm, thus the laceration wound in range about 5-10 mm from medial palpebral fissure have highly incident of lacrimal canaliculi injury. (the injury that medial to the punctum of eye.)


Lacrimal canaliculi have both at upper and lower lid margin, the openning is through the upper and lower punctum. The percent of tear drainage are 75% from lower canaliculi and remaining for upper canaliculi. The main is at lower lacrimal canaliculi. If it have injury to this canaliculi and we didn't repair it the tear will can't drain and epiphora will occur.

Next post I will show method to repair canaliculi.
See ya.