Caring for Blocked Nasolacrimal Ducts
by Cami Glaff
Over the weekend, we were able to clear Astaire’s tear
ducts. Often time’s horses will get obstructed tear ducts, which causes the
excess tears to flow freely onto their face. They will have a consistent flow
of ocular discharge onto their face, regardless of how often you clean the eye.
Under normal conditions, tears will flow down the nasolacrimal duct and then
drain from the nostrils. When those membranes become swollen and irritated,
that is when we will see an excess of drainage onto their face. An easy fix to
this is to have them flushed with sterile saline solution.
To do this, Astaire was sedated and we put a small tube up
his nasolacrimal duct. Then we flushed each side with 30 cc of sterile saline
solution so that the solution comes up from the tear duct in the eye so you
know the blockage has been cleared. Many horses have to have the procedure done
every few months to keep their tear ducts clear and healthy.
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