A blocked tear duct is a common eye condition that happens in many people. Tear ducts are crucial for draining out your eye and keeping it clean. A blocked tear duct is a problem because it affects your eye functions. If you experience a blocked tear duct, it irritates your eyes and affects your vision. Therefore, it is always better to go to an ophthalmologist if you suffer from a blocked tear duct.
A blocked tear duct can occur at any age but is more common in newborns. The good thing about blocked tear ducts is that they are always treatable. An ophthalmologist in Calgary may treat the blocked tear duct with different methods, and minor cases get treated with antibiotics. However, in some instances, tear duct surgery becomes necessary.
In this blog, we talk about the different ways in which you can take 
care of your eyes after a tear duct surgical procedure. The tear duct procedure is susceptible because it deals with the eyes.
Common after-care tips after the surgical procedure
Clean your hands and massage your eyes 2 to 3 times a day
Massaging your eyes will reactivate your tear duct and remove any remaining blockages. While rubbing, be gentle on your eyes and do not scratch your eyes. Grinding the eye will only hurt the tear duct. Massaging daily with clean hands will reduce the pain and swelling of the eyes after surgery. You have to wash your hands before rubbing your eyes.
After washing your hands, you need to wet a soft washcloth with warm water. Once the washcloth is wet, you can use the cloth to wash off the dried crust or pus in the eyes. Once the eyes are clean, you must put a warm compress on the operated eye. A warm compress reduces pain and swelling of the eye after surgery. However, the warm compress should not be too hot. You should leave the warm compress on the eye for only 5 minutes.
Drain out the pus with your index finger
Slide your index finger by the side of your nose. It would help if you pressed the side of the nose and eye gently to see any remaining pus. This will bring out the pus so that you can clean it off with a washcloth. It will stop the pus from accumulating and drying off on the tear duct.
Do not get too much water in your eyes
This is an after-care tip for any eye surgery. Always protect your eyes from too much water to ensure that the eyes recover correctly. It is always advised to cover your eyes with goggles while bathing and washing your face. This is very important for the proper recovery of the eye. The water may have germs or particles that go into your eye and cause an infection.
To avoid such an instance, it is always better to cover your eyes when bathing; wearing protective goggles for a week after surgery is advisable. Even after cleaning or washing your face, always try to be gentle with the face when drying. Do not pull too much as it can cause friction in the eye.
Adjust the washing motions
The most common way of washing the face is by splashing water. However, it is very important not to splash water on your face just after tear duct surgery. Splashing can forcefully put water in your eyes and hurt the eye. Therefore, it is better to wet the cloth lightly and clean your face with light pressing movement. You can use hypoallergenic wet tissue for the same purpose. Do not let water drip down into your eyes because it might let dirt wash into your eyes. Until your eye doctor confirms, it is best to take a bath only till the neck.
Keep the eye free of cosmetic products
You might be using eye cosmetic products before the surgery, but try to avoid them after surgery. This is because cosmetics are minute foreign particles that may irritate the eye. Cosmetics like kajal, eyeshadow, liners go too close to the tear duct and can cause infections. If you are using an old product that has been open and exposed to the environment for a long time, the chances of infection increase by manifold. Until the recovery period is over and your eye doctor says it’s safe, you should refrain from using eye cosmetic products. Always go for a natural look after surgery and in the after-care period.
In Calgary, Canada, a good ophthalmologist can advise you best about the after-care of tear duct surgical procedures. A tear duct procedure is a minor surgery for patients. However, the recovery period is as important as any other surgery. Always visit a reputed eye doctor for your surgery and after-surgery follow-up.
Conclusion
A tear duct blockage needs the immediate attention of an ophthalmologist. Your ophthalmologist may not recommend surgery as the first response to a blockage. However, if you go through a tear duct surgical procedure, give after-care the importance it deserves. Pursue after-care for recovery under the supervision of a good ophthalmologist.
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