Lacrimal duct treatment with ring intubation in injuries of the upper and lower eyelids

Background. Treating injuries of the lacrimal system with a silicon intubation is an approved method to prevent post-traumatic epiphora. Materials and methods. Between 1990 and 1999, operations were carried out on 44 patients with injuries of the canaliculi with silicon ring intubations. Interesting for us were the age distribution, causes of injuries, localisation and mid- to long-term postoperative complications. Results. The age of the patients was between 1.75 and 74 years, 48% of the injuries were caused by household accidents, 23% by violence, 20% by traffic accidents and 9% by job-related accidents. The canaliculus inferior was injured in 68% of all patients. We found 10 postoperative complications, e.g. ectropia, a too long silicon ring or granuloma. We found a positive anatomical readapted lacrimal system in 88% and 12% of our patients complained of distinct to severe epiphora. Conclusions. The treatment of lacrimal laceration with a silicon intubation is an excellent method but special care should be taken with correct positioning of the lid margin.