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

Abstract

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 with 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 encountred cause 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.