[Treatment of nasolacrimal duct obstruction with probing in children younger than 4 years].

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of nasolacrimal duct probing as the treatment of nasolacrimal duct obstruction in children younger than 4 years.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total amount of 320 eyes in 275 children 4 to 48 months old, receiving nasolacrimal duct probing were enrolled in a retrospective study. The patients were divided into 4 groups depends on age: I group--4-12 months, II group--12-24 months, III group--24-36 months and IV group--36-48 months.

RESULTS: The percentage of efficient duct probing was: in I group--84%, in II group--79%, in III group--78% and in IV group--59%.

CONCLUSIONS: In children 4 to 36 months old, probing is a successful treatment of nasolacrimal duct obstruction with no decline in treatment success with increasing age.