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What is involved in tear duct drainage tract surgery?

Tear duct drainage tract surgery creates a new drain between your nose and your eyes. This drain collects and removes the tear liquid that bathes and cleans your eyes. When the tear duct is blocked, it creates excess eye discharge and can become infected. Surgery is required to treat the infection and get tears flowing the right way again. 

Often, your doctor doesn’t know why your tear duct drainage tract got blocked. Known causes of blocked tear ducts include anatomical issues at birth, tumors, nasal polyps, chronic nasal infections, and conjunctivitis. 

A small cut is made on your eyelid between your eye and nose during tear duct drainage tract surgery. The surgeon makes a small hole in the bone between your eye and nose to create a new drain. Occasionally, a small tube is placed into the hole to make sure the drain stays open. Some surgeons can avoid cutting your face by using a tube inserted into your nasal cavity.

Is tear duct drainage surgery painful?

How long is DCR surgery?

Is tear duct surgery necessary?

Will a blocked tear duct fix itself?

How long does it take to recover from tear duct drainage tract surgery?

What can you not do after DCR surgery?

* Savings estimate based on a study of more than 1 billion claims comparing self-pay (or cash pay) prices of a frequency-weighted market basket of procedures to insurer-negotiated rates for the same. Claims were collected between July 2017 and July 2019. R.Lawrence Van Horn, Arthur Laffer, Robert L.Metcalf. 2019. The Transformative Potential for Price Transparency in Healthcare: Benefits for Consumers and Providers. Health Management Policy and Innovation, Volume 4, Issue 3.

Sidecar Health offers and administers a variety of plans including ACA compliant and excepted benefit plans. Coverage and plan options may vary or may not be available in all states.

Your actual costs may be higher or lower than these cost estimates. Check with your provider and health plan details to confirm the costs that you may be charged for a service or procedure.You are responsible for costs that are not covered and for getting any pre-authorizations or referrals required by your health plan. Neither payments nor benefits are guaranteed. Provider data, including price data, provided in part by Turquoise Health.

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