Outcomes of Early Lacrimal Probing Versus Lacrimal Sac Massage in Infants With Congenital Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction

May 13, 2026 updated by: Hany Mahmoud,MD
This study aims to provide evidence on the optimal timing and efficacy of lacrimal probing in infants with congenital NLDO to minimize morbidity and healthcare costs .

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNLDO) manifests with symptoms such as excessive tearing, lash crusting, and mucopurulent secretions. A significant cohort study revealed that CNLDO affects one in nine newborns, highighting its public health significance 1.

Controversies per-sist regarding the most appropriate time and type of intervention for managing CNLDO2 .

Standard early management typically includes hydrostatic lacrimal sac massage combined with topical antibiotics. Many ophthalmologists believe that a majority of obstructions resolve spontaneously with massage; however, around 25% of children may require additional intervention such as probing 3.

Currently, there is no established consensus on the optimal timing for intervention in theses cases. Because of the possibility of spontaneous resolution, some authors recommend postponing probing until after one year of age . Conversely, other studies suggest that delaying probing beyond six months may increase the risk of inflammation and fibrosis, potentially lowering the success rates of later interventions 4.

Aim of the study This study aims to provide evidence on the optimal timing and efficacy of lacrimal probing in infants with congenital NLDO to minimize morbidity and healthcare costs .

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

50

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • patients with simple congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction

Exclusion Criteria:

  • patients with complicated nasolacrimal duct obstruction

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: early probing
patients with congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction will undergo early probing
Procedure: naslacrimal duct probing
nasolacrimal duct probing
No Intervention: massage
patients with congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction will undergo lacrimal massage

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
epiphora stop evaluated by Munk scale and TEARS scale
Time Frame: 3 months

Munk Scale, which ranges from 0 (no tearing) to 5 (constant tearing) based on daily wiping frequency.

TEARS Scale, which measures four subscales: Times of wiping, Effects (clinical), Activity limitations, and Reflex tearing.
3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Hany Mahmoud,MD

Investigators

  • Study Director: Hany Mahmoud, Sohag University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

October 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 8, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 18, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 18, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 13, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Soh-Med-26-4-9PD

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

data are available upon request

IPD Sharing Time Frame

3 months

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

all

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF
  • ANALYTIC_CODE
  • CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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