UNASSIGNED: To report a rare case of a pediatric dacryolith masquerading as congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNLDO).
UNASSIGNED: A two-year-old male child presented with history of intermittent epiphora and discharge since the age of six months. Clinical evaluation demonstrated raised tear meniscus height and delayed fluorescein dye disappearance test in the right eye. Lacrimal irrigation of the right eye under general anesthesia demonstrated 90 % regurgitation (subjectively) of mucoid fluid with a hard stop. Nasal endoscopy examination demonstrated a dacryolith obstructing the opening of the nasolacrimal duct (NLD) in the inferior meatus. The dacryolith was teased out of the NLD and following its removal the lacrimal irrigation was freely patent. At six-months post operative follow up, epiphora resolved and the child was asymptomatic.
UNASSIGNED: While cases of canaliculitis is uncommon in pediatric age group, it is rare to find a NLD dacryolith in a toddler. To the best of the authors\' knowledge, there are few prior reports on pediatric NLD dacryolith masquerading as CNLDO in a toddler (1-3 years).

Congenital lacrimal drainage anomalies have several syndromic and non-syndromic associations reported in the literature. While the information is exhaustive, it may not be useful if someone wants to know the associations based on individual lacrimal anomalies quickly. For example, if someone wants to know the systemic associations of supernumerary punctum, it entails scanning of all the syndromes to note which of them reported the specific anomaly. Besides, several new associations have been reported in the last four years. Hence, the need was felt for a separate categorization in a catalogue form to access all the associations immediately, in an alphabetical order, and easily reference them. The present exercise allowed us to catalogue 73 systemic associations of CNLDO, 37 for punctal agenesis, 20 for punctal dysgenesis, 17 for congenital lacrimal fistulas, 9 for canalicular wall dysgenesis, and three each for supernumerary punctum and pediatric functional epiphora.

UNASSIGNED: To describe the management and outcomes of patients with radiation-induced acquired lacrimal duct obstructions (RALDO).
UNASSIGNED: A retrospective chart review from July 2018 to December 2023 of all cases undergoing surgical intervention for RALDO by a single surgeon. Data collected included demographics, tumor type and anatomic location, radiation treatment (including radiation type, dosage, and duration), interval between radiation and reported onset of epiphora, oculoplastic clinical examination, management, and outcomes. Lacrimal irrigation was done prior to surgery in all patients.
UNASSIGNED: Seventeen eyes of 16 patients with a mean age at presentation of 63.3 years and over half the patients being females (56.3%) were included in the study. The right lacrimal drainage system (LDS) was involved in 4 (23.6%), and the left side was involved in 13 (76.4%). The mean onset of epiphora symptoms after radiation was 9.5 months. The underlying tumor type were intraocular having uveal melanoma in four, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in 2, basal cell carcinoma involving forehead and nose in one and sino-nasal indications present in 8 patients. One patient had metastasis to the orbit and eyelid. Four patients (25%) received external beam radiotherapy (XRT) (one case had bilateral LDS involvement), 6 patients (37.5%) received intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), 5 patients (31.25%) received proton beam irradiation (PBI), and one (6.25%) received stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). Mean radiation dosage was 61.31 Gy in 15 patients (data was missing in 1 patient). Punctum was effaced in 3, canalicular stenosis in 1, proximal canalicular obstruction in 8, distal canalicular obstruction in 2, and nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO) in 3. Treatment was based on the site and nature of obstruction and varied from minimally invasive techniques like serial dilatation with bicanalicular silicone tube or Guibor tube to surgical interventions like dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) or conjunctivo-dacryocystorhinostomy (C-DCR). Only 10% with primary lacrimal intubation had good response. Of the six cases that underwent C-DCR with Jones tube either as primary or secondary procedure, four cases showed improvement in epiphora (67%). Three with NLDO did well after external DCR. In total, four patients had a secondary procedure after the first failed while 7 with failed initial surgery elected against secondary surgery. The mean follow-up was 9.6 months (range 2-24 months).
UNASSIGNED: In patients with RALDO, salvage treatment with silicone lacrimal intubation has poor results, CDCR with Jones tube has better results, although imperfect and in cases with NLDO, DCR has good outcomes.

We continue our review of on punctal stenosis by providing a detailed discussion of management modalities, their complications, and outcomes. There is a significant change in the understanding of punctal and peripunctal anatomy, puncto-canalicular junction, and the lacrimal pump mechanisms. While the snip punctoplasty procedures are still practiced, there is an increasing trend toward nonincisional procedures. The nonincisional procedures in select cases appear to be equally effective as the incisional ones. Although simple to use, punctal plugs never became the mainstay of treatment because of design issues and the inability to address the coexisting canalicular stenosis. Placing stents only in the lower punctum in cases of upper and lower punctal stenosis should be discouraged, and management needs to address punctal stenosis and not which punctum is involved. Several types of stents are used in the management of punctal stenosis, mostly based on surgeon\'s preference. The benefits of adjuvant mitomycin C are uncertain. In view of literature on how stent biofilms can themselves cause chronic inflammation, placing them for prolonged periods should be reviewed and debated. Enhanced understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of punctal stenosis and addressing the current controversies in management would help standardize the therapeutic interventions available in the lacrimal armamentarium.

Lacrimal canaliculitis is an inflammation of the proximal lacrimal drainage system. It classically presents with symptoms of redness, mucopurulent discharge, medial canthal swelling, epiphora, and pouting punctum. Despite having classical clinical characteristics it is frequently misdiagnosed. The cause can be primarily due to various infectious agents or secondary mostly due to the use of punctal plugs. There are no universally accepted guidelines for the management of canaliculitis but different medical and surgical options have been employed with varying success rates and it is notorious for recurrences and failure to therapy. The present review summarizes the existing literature on lacrimal canaliculitis published over the past 15 years to provide an overview of this uncommon condition. A total of 100 articles published in the literature were anlaysed during this period. The mean age at diagnosis was 57.09 ± 16.91 years with a female preponderance. Misdiagnosis was common with many patients misdiagnosed as conjunctivitis and dacryocystitis. Primary canaliculitis was found to be more frequent than secondary with inferior canaliculus involved more commonly than the superior. Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Actinomyces were the most common microbes isolated. Surgical management was employed in 74.25% of cases while medical management was done in 20.82% of cases. The review presents an insight into the complexities of canaliculitis, its diagnosis, and management which will further help to improve the understanding of this uncommon infection of the lacrimal system.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the geometric morphological differences of the lacrimal punctum by analyzing its shape in relation to age and sex in a normal population.
METHODS: 960 high-magnification slit-lamp images were obtained from 320 puncta of normal asymptomatic Indian individuals across eight decades of life. Using advanced geometric morphometric techniques, including Elliptic Fourier Analysis and Principal Component Analysis, the intricate details of the lacrimal punctum\'s shape in a diverse population sample were categorized by age and sex. High-resolution images of the lacrimal punctum underwent standardization for scale and orientation, followed by precise landmark identification and coordinate data extraction.
RESULTS: The geometric morphometry of the lacrimal punctum shows significant changes as one ages. However, the gender differences, in isolation, without consideration of age, remain subtle and are not pronounced. Interestingly, detailed Principal Component scores analysis revealed potential sex- and age-related variations specifically for the left and right lower puncta, which warrant further investigation. These changes could reflect unique aging changes in the proximal lacrimal drainage system.
CONCLUSIONS: The study is a starting point for geometric morphometric analysis of the lacrimal punctum and provides valuable insights into the punctal changes in size, orientation, and overall morphology across different age groups and between sexes. These findings highlight the significance of considering individual age-wise anatomical variations to better understand the lacrimal punctum.

Congenital arhinia-microphthalmos syndrome or BOSMA syndrome is an exceptionally rare clinical syndrome characterized by unilateral or bilateral complete absence of the nasal cavity associated with several craniofacial, ocular, and systemic anomalies. Lacrimal drainage anomalies are secondary to absent nasolacrimal duct and usually present as dilated lacrimal sac or mucoceles. While navigation-guided dacryocystorhinostomies into the contralateral nasal cavity are described for unilateral arhinia, the way forward for the complete absence of the nose and nasal cavity is still unclear. A multidisciplinary team from the specialties of genetics, plastic surgery, ophthalmic plastics and reconstructive surgery, otorhinolaryngology, and endocrinology should get involved very early on for better continuity of care.

OBJECTIVE: To study the structural and dynamic alterations in the lacrimal sac vasculature of patients with congenital, primary, and secondary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstructions (CNLDO, PANDO, SANDO) and patients with acute dacryocystitis (AD) and failed dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR).
METHODS: A prospective study was performed on 65 consecutive lacrimal sacs following their complete exposure during endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy. High magnification chromo endoscopy and changes in effective spectral response was achieved using the Storz professional image enhancement system (SPIES®). Structural characteristics studied include vascular arrangement, superficial and deep vessels, vessel calibers on cut section, abnormal branching, localized and generalized dilatations and pathologies like varices. Flow characteristics in different caliber vessels and their alterations were assessed in Spectra A mode of SPIES®.
RESULTS: Distinct vascular alterations were noted in several lacrimal disorders. Vascular dilatations differed between the fundus and the body segments of the lacrimal sac, except in cases of traumatic SANDO and prior failed DCRs. 23% (7/30) of PANDO sacs showed peri sac varices and severe tortuosity. The flow in the dilated vessels was either very slow or showed intermittent backflow. Moderate dilatation of peri sac venous plexus with distinct surface linear vessels was noted in CNLDO. The cut surface of the sac wall and luminal surface differentially demonstrated several vascular patterns like speckled, scattered, branched loops, and skip areas in various diseased states.
CONCLUSIONS: The present study found distinct alterations of lacrimal sac vasculature in several lacrimal drainage disorders and provides impetus to the vascular theory for pathogenesis of PANDO.

UNASSIGNED: Lacrimal bypass is the creation of a fistula connecting the conjunctiva with the lacrimal sac or nasal cavity. Bypass is indicated in canalicular obstruction or agenesis; sac absence, destruction or prior excision; lacrimal pump failure; or dacryocystorhinostomy failure. We aim to review the various techniques that have been developed over the last century for lacrimal bypass.
UNASSIGNED: We conducted a comprehensive literature review of techniques which have focused on creating a conduit extending from the conjunctiva or canaliculi to the lacrimal sac, or extending that bypass to the nasal cavity bypass.
UNASSIGNED: The main techniques reviewed include canaliculodacryocystorhinostomy, conjunctivodacryocystostomy, conjunctivorhinostomy, conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy, and conjunctivoductivodacryocystorhinostomy.
UNASSIGNED: Lacrimal bypass surgery has evolved due to innovation in microsurgical techniques, instruments and materials. Conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy with Jones tube insertion is the predominant bypass technique, reflecting a culmination of historical developments. Understanding the variety of lacrimal bypass techniques is important for exploring alternative options when necessary.

UNASSIGNED: To investigate the utility of a hand-held digital otoscope for nasal endoscopy and as a pedagogy tool for residents and fellows in patients undergoing external dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) surgery.
UNASSIGNED: A digital otoscope (MS450-NTE, Teslong Inc., USA) comprising a digital screen device and a connectible camera probe was used for performing nasal endoscopy. Inspection of nasal cavities was performed pre-, intra-, and post-operatively in sequential patients with nasolacrimal duct obstruction, who underwent DCR or lacrimal probing. Images (1920 × 1080 pixels) and videos (1280 × 720 pixels) were captured. The device was also used for training residents and fellows in performing nasal endoscopy, and to teach basic concepts.
UNASSIGNED: The digital otoscope could be used for routine outpatient nasal examination and for performing minor procedures. 53.8% (n = 13) of ophthalmology trainees had never observed nasal endoscopy and 84.6% could not identify more than one major structure correctly prior to the current training. Post-training, all trainees could independently perform nasal endoscopy with the device and 76.9% identified all structures correctly.
UNASSIGNED: A digital otoscope with a camera probe is a handy tool for nasal endoscopy and pedagogy. Low-cost gadgets such as this device can effectively be used for performing outpatient nasal endoscopy when expensive endoscopes are unavailable and in peripheral healthcare centers.