Tear Osmolarity Changes Following External and Trans-Canalicular Dacryocystorhinostomy in Primary Acquired Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the tear osmolarity(TO) in patients with epiphora caused by primary acquired nasolacrimal-duct obstructions(PANDOs), before and one month after an external dacryocystorhinostomy(E-DCR) and trans-canalicular laser-assisted endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy(TLA-DCR).Material-Methods: Twenty eyes of 21 patients(16 women, 5 men) who suffered from epiphora and, 20 healthy eyes of the same subjects were included in this study. External(Group 1) or laser-assisted(Group 2) DCR were applied to all patients with PANDO.Results: The mean age of the subjects was 60.09±8.46 in Group 1, 57.50±9.41 in Group 2 and, 55.13±9.38 in healthy control subjects. The mean period for complaints of epiphora was 1.9±0.7 years. Nasolacrimal duct irrigation was successful in all patients at the first-month visit after surgery. Group 1 had a mean TO of 284.16±12.43 mOsm/l and, Group 2 had 286.70±10.46 mOsm/l before DCR, and this increased to 295.75±5.86 mOsm/l and, 298.70±8.76 mOsm/l one month after DCR, respectively. Preoperative TO values in both groups were significant hypoosmolar compared with the control group (292.27±9.65 mOsm/l). No significant differences were detected between postoperative and control group TO values.Conclusion: We found no significant osmolarity changes between surgery and control groups.