Canaliculitis

Canaliculitis
SpecialtyOphthalmology
SymptomsExcess tears, redness, pain and swelling of part of eyelid[1]
Diagnostic methodVisualisation, dacryocystography, ultrasound biomicroscopy[1]
Differential diagnosisDacryocystitis[1]
TreatmentWashing eye with normal saline, antibiotics, surgery[1]
FrequencyUncommon[1]

Canaliculitis is an infection of the lacrimal canaliculus of the eye, typically presenting with excess tears, redness, pain and swelling of part of the eyelid, followed by a swelling of the inner corner of the eye near the nose.[1]

The cause of most cases is unknown, but a blocked tear duct may increase the risk of canaliculitis.[1] Cosmetics may play a role in blocking the tear duct and therefore encouraging growth of bacteria.[1] Actinomyces israelii, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus have been isolated.[2] It can usually be diagnosed by looking at the eye, and if required can be confirmed by dacryocystography and ultrasound biomicroscopy.[1]

It accounts for around 2% of tear duct diseases.[1] The upper eye lid is less affected than the lower lid, and females are at greater risk.[1] The condition may be easily missed or misdiagnosed, and is probably not as rare as appears.[1]

Signs and symptoms

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is by its appearance.[1]

Differential diagnosis

Canaliculitis may appear similar to longterm conjunctivitis, chalazion, hordeolum internum, and longterm dacryocystitis.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pujari, Aditi; Ali, Mohammad Javed (2018). "17. Infections of the lacrimal drainage system". In Ali, Mohammad Javed (ed.). Principles and Practice of Lacrimal Surgery (2nd ed.). Singapore: Springer. pp. 182–190. ISBN 978-981-10-5441-9. Archived from the original on 2022-07-21. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  2. Feroze, Kaberi B.; Patel, Bhupendra C. (2022). "Canaliculitis". StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. PMID 28722951. Archived from the original on 2022-07-21. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
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