Expulsion of a lacrimal dacryolith by sneezing: A rare event.

PURPOSE: To describe the case of a man presenting with intermittent epiphora of the right eye and a low grade dacryocystitis due to a dacryolith.

METHODS/

RESULTS

He was treated conservatively and was offered a Dacryocystorhinostomy. A few weeks before surgery, he developed swelling and pain over the right medial canthus followed by violent sneezing with spontaneous extrusion of the dacryolith.

DISCUSSION: The authors propose that the dacryolith fragmented spontaneously and once it reached the nasal cavity, was expelled by violent sneezing to the nostril, a mechanism not previously reported.

CONCLUSIONS

Reformation of dacryolith is a likely possibility, and recurrence of symptoms in such cases may ultimately require a Dacryocystorhinostomy. (Eur J Ophthalmol 2006; 16: 161-3).