The lacrimal system is comprised of the lacrimal glands for tear production and the lacrimal drainage system for draining tears away from the eyes. Congenital lacrimal system anomalies other than nasolacrimal duct obstruction are uncommon. Congenital lacrimal fistulae are a rare developmental anomaly, and when they occur, they are usually unilateral. Fistulae and diverticulae can originate from...

Lacrimal sac diverticulum is a rare condition, and its various symptoms complicate differential diagnosis. We present cases of a peculiar type of lacrimal diverticulum. A 5-year-old girl and a 50-year-old woman presented with a protruding mass inferior to the medial canthus. Each lacrimal system was patent to irrigation. The masses compressed and distorted the lacrimal passage and had no appare...

Excessive watering of the eye is a common condition in ophthalmological practice. It may be the result of excessive production of tear fluid or obstruction and insufficiency of efferent tear pathways. The differentiation between obstruction and insufficiency of the lacrimal pathways is still clinically questionable. In the diagnostic process it is necessary to perform clinical tests and additio...

IN the vast majority of cases the aetiology of an acquired obstruction in the lacrimal drainage apparatus remains obscure. Overt infection is a common associate, especially with obstructions involving the naso-lacrimal duct. It is still not clear whether the infection is causal or sequential to the obstruction, or whether these two factors are simply part of a wider diathesis. At the present ti...

Dear Editor, Amyloidosis is a heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by extracellular amyloid deposits in different organs [1]. Deposition may occur secondary to a systemic disease or as primary amyloidosis in absence of a systemic disease. Periocular and orbital amyloidosis are rare, especially in the lacrimal apparatus. In South Korea, only 12 cases of amyloidosis have been reported, a...

Ectodermal dysplasia and its related disorders may present with ocular symptoms due to involvement of the ectodermal components of the eye. This paper reports a case of congenital anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia presenting to the ophthalmologist with epiphora due to lacrimal atresia. The embryonic origin of the lacrimal system suggests that lacrimal anomalies in association with ectodermal diso...

A functional study of the lacrimal drainage apparatus was made in 25 patients. Angiographin was instilled into the conjunctival sac and serial radiographs were taken. The films were interpreted in conjunction with the intubation macro-dacryocystograms. Although this is a useful procedure, the use of angiographin compares unfavourably with ultra-fluid Lipiodol in a similar procedure.

Transnasal endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy is a good alternative for external DCR. It is considered a safe and efficient technique with successful results, comparable or even better than the external technique. Advanced knowledge of the endoscopic anatomy and the lacrimal system is necessary to perform the procedure safely, and to obtain good surgical outcomes. The aim of the paper is to analy...