Treatments
Tear Duct Surgery
Specialist assessment and treatment for watery eyes, blocked tear ducts, tear duct infection and revision lacrimal surgery.
Tear duct surgery and lacrimal drainage disorders are a particular area of expertise for Dr Hannah Timlin, a consultant oculoplastic and fellowship-trained lacrimal surgeon in London.
Consultant at Moorfields Eye Hospital · GMC 6134773 · Fellowship-trained lacrimal surgeon
How the tear ducts work
Tears do more than respond to emotion: they keep the surface of the eye healthy and comfortable. Once they have done their job, they drain from the inner corner of each eye, through the tear drainage system, and into the nose.
When this drainage system becomes narrowed, blocked or infected, tears cannot drain as they should. This can cause persistent watering, a sticky or discharging eye, swelling near the inner corner of the eye, or recurrent infections.
Tear duct problems are often very treatable, but the right treatment depends on identifying exactly where and why the system is not working.
Why choose Dr Hannah Timlin
Tear duct surgery and lacrimal drainage disorders are one of Dr Timlin's core areas of expertise. She is a fellowship-trained lacrimal surgeon, and her research in this field has been recognised with national and international awards. She manages the full range of tear duct problems, including complex and revision cases where previous surgery has not fully resolved symptoms.
This depth of lacrimal experience is the reason many patients with watery eyes or blocked tear ducts choose to see her. Where a tear duct is blocked, she performs dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR), including endoscopic (scarless) and revision techniques.
At the same time, she is a consultant oculoplastic surgeon with broader expertise in eyelid surgery, eyelid position and the anatomy around the eye. This matters because watery eyes are not always a drainage problem, and the eyelids, tear film and drainage system often need to be considered together.
Tear duct treatments
Dr Timlin assesses and treats the full range of tear duct conditions. Each is explained in detail on its own page.
Watery Eyes & Blocked Tear Ducts
Assessment and treatment of watery eyes and blocked or narrowed tear ducts, including tear duct surgery such as DCR where drainage needs to be restored.
Learn moreRevision Tear Duct Surgery
Specialist review and revision surgery for patients whose watering has persisted or returned after previous tear duct or DCR surgery.
Learn moreTear Duct Infection
Treatment of infections of the tear drainage system, including dacryocystitis and canaliculitis, and the underlying blockage that often causes them.
Learn moreCommon symptoms
Tear duct problems can cause a range of symptoms, including:
- Persistent watery eyes
- Tears running down the cheek
- A sticky or discharging eye
- Recurrent eye infections
- Swelling near the inner corner of the eye
- Symptoms that have returned after previous tear duct surgery
- Eye irritation caused by poor tear drainage
If you recognise these symptoms, a specialist assessment can identify the cause and the most appropriate treatment.
Why accurate diagnosis matters
A watery eye is a good example of why diagnosis matters. It can be caused by a blocked tear duct, but also by an eyelid that sits in the wrong position, by a dry or irritated eye surface triggering reflex tearing, or by inflammation or infection.
These causes need quite different treatment, and an approach that helps one can be unhelpful for another. This is why tear duct surgery is never the automatic answer to a watery eye; the first step is always to establish the true cause.
Dr Timlin's combined expertise in both tear duct and eyelid surgery means the whole tear system, from the eyelids to the drainage channels, can be assessed together.
Specialist assessment
Your consultation includes a careful examination of your eyelids, the surface of your eye and tear film, and the tear drainage system itself.
Where helpful, Dr Timlin can gently check how the tear ducts drain, for example by syringing or probing the drainage channels, and can arrange further investigation or imaging of the tear ducts. This helps pinpoint the level and cause of any blockage.
She will then explain what she has found and the options available, including the likely benefits, limitations, recovery and fees, so you can decide how to proceed.
Book a Consultation
If you have persistent watery eyes, recurrent infections, or symptoms that have continued after previous tear duct surgery, a specialist consultation can identify the cause and the right treatment.
Dr Hannah Timlin will assess your eyelids, eye surface and tear drainage before advising on the most appropriate approach for you.
Reviewed by Dr Hannah Timlin, Consultant Ophthalmic and Oculoplastic Surgeon (GMC 6134773). For general information only, not medical advice.