The Prevelance of Punctal Stenosis as a Cause of Obstructive Epiphora in Ain Shams University Hospitals Ophthalmology Clinic

Abstract

E-mail: elwakil.farah@gmail.com, farahelwakeel@med.asu.edu.eg Background: Epiphora or tearing is the presence of a watering eye, which is a common complaint to be referred to oculoplastic clinics for evaluation. Not only does it cause social embarrassment, epiphora can also affect the quality of a patient's life as it may interfere with daily activities, especially reading and driving. Excessive tearing may also hinder proper visual performance. Aim of the Work: To calculate the prevalence of punctal stenosis in patients presenting obstructive epiphora to the outpatient ophthalmology clinic at Ain Shams University Hospitals. Patients and Methods: This descriptive cross sectional study included 75 eyes of 51 patients, with the age ranging from 4.5 to 77 years and a mean age of 52.32 ± 16.19 years. The study results showed that punctal stenosis is the most commonly encountered cause of obstructive epiphora in the study population with a prevalence of 62.7%. There was a female predominance of epiphora and punctal stenosis (68%). Results: Our study results revealed that epiphora was more prevalent in the older age subgroups, where the highest prevalence was among the oldest age subgroup (> 60 years old) (45.1%). Similarly, punctal stenosis was the most prevalent in the > 60 years old age sub group (56.3%). Conclusion: Punctal stenosis is the most commonly encounbtred case of obstructive epiphora in the study population, with a female predominance. Moreover, increasing age was shown to be the most important determinant for the existence of punctal stenosis.