The key difference between clogged tear duct and pink eye is that a clogged tear duct is an eye condition due to partial or complete obstruction in the tear drainage system, while pink eye is an eye condition due to the inflammation or infection of the transparent membrane that lines the eyelid and eyeball.
Clogged tear duct and pink eye are two associated eye conditions. This is because a clogged tear duct can trigger the development of pink eye. Both these conditions can be caused by inflammation or infection, and they may also have similar symptoms such as eye tearing, irritation, crusting, etc. However, these conditions have different etiologies.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is a Clogged Tear Duct
3. What is a Pink Eye
4. Similarities – Clogged Tear Duct and Pink Eye
5. Clogged Tear Duct vs. Pink Eye in Tabular Form
6. FAQ – Clogged Tear Duct and Pink Eye
7. Summary – Clogged Tear Duct vs. Pink Eye
What is a Clogged Tear Duct?
A clogged tear duct is an eye condition caused by blocked tear ducts that are unable to drain normally. This condition leaves people with a watery and irritated eye. A partial or complete obstruction in the tear drainage system causes a clogged tear duct. It has different causes, such as congenital blockage, age-related changes, infection or inflammation, injury or trauma, tumor, eye drops, and cancer treatments. The symptoms of a clogged tear duct may include excessive tearing, redness of the white part of the eye, recurrent eye infection, painful swelling near the corner of the eye, crusting of the eyelids, mucus or pus discharge from the eye, and blurred vision. Certain factors, such as age, chronic eye inflammation, previous surgery, glaucoma, and previous cancer treatment, increase the risk of developing this condition.
Figure 01: Clogged Tear Duct
Clogged tear duct can be diagnosed through a physical symptom evaluation, tear drainage test, irrigation and probing, and eye imaging tests such as X-rays, CT, and MRI. Furthermore, treatment options for clogged tear ducts may include antibiotic eye drops, massage, dilation, probing and flushing, stenting or intubation, balloon catheter dilation, and surgery (external or endoscopic).
What is a Pink Eye?
Pink eye is caused by an inflammation of the transparent membrane that lines the eyelid and eyeball called conjunctiva. The causes of pink eye are viruses, bacteria, allergies, a chemical splash in the eye, a foreign object in the eye, and a blocked tear duct. Moreover, the most common pink eye symptoms may include redness in one or both eyes, itchiness in one or both eyes, a gritty feeling in one or both eyes, a discharge in one or both eyes that forms a crust during the night, tearing, and sensitivity to light. Certain risk factors increase the likelihood of having pink eye, such as exposure to someone infected with the viral or bacterial form of pink eye, exposure to something allergic, and using contact lenses.
Figure 02: Pink Eye
Pink eye can be diagnosed through health history and eye examination. Furthermore, treatment options for pink eye may include using artificial tears, cleaning the eyelids with a wet cloth, applying cold or warm compresses daily, antibiotics, eye drops, antiviral medications, antihistamines and mast cell stabilizers, decongestants, steroids, and anti-inflammatory drops, and stopping wearing contact lenses for some days.
What are the Similarities Between Clogged Tear Duct and Pink Eye?
- Clogged tear duct and pink eye are two different eye conditions.
- A clogged tear duct can result in pink eye.
- Both these conditions may have similar symptoms like eye tearing, irritation, crusting, etc.
- Both these conditions can be diagnosed through medical history and physical symptoms evaluation.
- They can be treated by managing the underlying cause.
What is the Difference Between Clogged Tear Duct and Pink Eye?
A clogged tear duct is an eye condition due to partial or complete obstruction in the tear drainage system while a pink eye is an eye condition due to the inflammation or infection of the transparent membrane that lines the eyelid and eyeball. Thus, this is the key difference between clogged tear duct and pink eye. Furthermore, the risk factors for clogged tear ducts are age, chronic eye inflammation, previous surgery, glaucoma, and previous cancer treatment. On the other hand, the risk factors for pink eye are exposure to someone infected with the viral or bacterial form of pink eye, exposure to something allergic, and using contact lenses.
The infographic below presents the differences between clogged tear duct and pink eye in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
FAQ: Clogged Tear Duct and Pink Eye
How do I know if my baby has pink eye or clogged tear ducts?
How long do blocked tear ducts last in newborns?
What happens if a blocked tear duct goes untreated?
If a blocked tear duct in a newborn goes untreated, it may lead to persistent tearing, eye discharge, and an increased risk of eye infections.
Summary – Clogged Tear Duct vs. Pink Eye
Clogged tear duct and pink eye are two different eye conditions. Both these conditions may have similar symptoms, such as eye tearing and irritation. However, clogged tear duct is an eye condition due to partial or complete obstruction in the tear drainage system while pink eye is an eye condition due to the inflammation or infection of the transparent membrane that lines the eyelid and eyeball. So, this summarizes the difference between clogged tear duct and pink eye.
Reference:
1. “Blocked Tear Duct: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention.” Cleveland Clinic.
2. “Pink Eye.” Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Dacryostenosis Blocked Tear Duct” By BruceBlaus – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “An eye with viral conjunctivitis” By Joyhill09 – I took this photo with a Nikon D40 of my eye infected with conjunctivitis (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia