This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Congenital lacrimal duct obstruction ( CLDO )

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The symptoms of congenital lacrimal duct obstruction develop in 6-20% of infants during their first month of life. The parents may observe watering and discharge from the eye.

Spontaneous resolution occurs in the vast majority of cases. Without treatment, less than 1% of infants will still be affected by their first birthday. Consider the differential diagnosis of congenital lacrimal duct obstruction e.g. any lash or lid abnormality.

The use of antibiotics should be minimised. Hospital referral is indicated if symptoms are still present at 12 months.

BMJ (1997), 315, 293-6.


Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page