We tend to take tears for granted. We associate them with emotion—joy, sadness, frustration. But clinically, tears are a vital hydraulic system for your eyes. Every time you blink, a thin film of tears washes over the cornea, providing oxygen, nutrients, and a protective shield against bacteria.
Here is your tactical, medical-grade guide to unclogging that drain. You have puncta (tiny holes) in the inner corners of your upper and lower eyelids. Tears drain down a canal into the lacrimal sac (a small reservoir near the side of your nose), then through the nasolacrimal duct, emptying into your nasal cavity. how to unclog a tear duct
Start with the warm compress and the downward massage. Give it three days. If the watering persists, see an ENT or an oculoplastic surgeon. Unlike a sink pipe, you cannot use Drano. But with patience and the right mechanics, you can usually get things flowing again. We tend to take tears for granted
And if you can’t? A 15-minute balloon procedure fixes it for a decade. Every time you blink, a thin film of
This condition, known as , is surprisingly common in adults. The good news? You can often fix it at home. The bad news? If you do it wrong, you can make it worse.
When that final duct narrows or blocks, the fluid backs up. This is why your nose runs when you cry—those tears are supposed to go down your throat.