Canaliculitis: difficulties in diagnosis, differential diagnosis and comparison between conservative and surgical treatment.

The most important clinical features of canaliculitis include a red, swollen eyelid in the area of the affected canaliculus, a unilateral conjunctivitis, a mucopurulent discharge and in some cases dacryoliths visible in the lacrimal punctum. Conservative therapy was found to be little effective: only 10% of the patients could be cured, 40% showed a recurrence after conservative treatment. 20 patients (50%) were treated by canaliculotomy: 16 of these were cured by this surgical treatment, 4 patients complained of epiphora, although diagnostic syringing showed free lacrimal pathways. The surgical treatment of canaliculitis in combination with conservative therapy yields far better results than conservative therapy alone.