In babies the blockage is a thin membrane where the duct opens into the nose
BlockageThe way to the nose is openDrag right — open the way for the tears
Duct narrowed
Tears reach the sac but barely drain into the nose: they pool, and pus forms in the sac.
Now: examination and a check of the path
The doctor presses the inner corner of the eye, sees what comes out and tells you where the blockage is.
Baby under one, membrane at the duct’s exit. Tear sac massage at home, as the doctor shows you; if that doesn’t help — tear duct probing, 10,000 ₸ per eye.
Adult, narrowed tear opening. Widening the tear opening, 10,000 ₸ per eye.
Adult, narrowed duct. Tear duct flushing, 5,000 ₸ per procedure; if that’s not enough — probing, 10,000 ₸ per eye.
Adult, blocked duct. Surgery makes a new path for tears from the sac straight into the nose; price after the examination.
from 7,000 ₸per visit · ophthalmologist consultation
5,000 ₸per procedure: tear duct flushing with medication
10,000 ₸per eye: duct probing with no incision
from 7,000 ₸per visit: ophthalmologist consultation
4steps: massage, flushing, probing, surgery — in that order
70,560+eye and eyelid surgeries performed at the clinic
Sound familiar
Dacryocystitis or just a watery eye: how to tell
Dacryocystitis is inflammation of the tear sac when tears can’t drain into the nose. Tears pool in the sac like water in a clogged sink, and bacteria start to grow. So the main sign isn’t the tears themselves but pus from the inner corner of the eye.
Looks like dacryocystitis
One eye waters all the time, even indoors, with no wind or cold.
Press the corner by your nose — a cloudy or yellow drop comes out. That’s pus coming back out of the tear sac.
In the morning your lashes are stuck together with yellow crusts, while the white of the eye stays clear.
There’s sometimes swelling by the nose that comes and goes.
Out-turned lower eyelidThe lid pulls away from the eye, so tears miss the tear opening and run past it. The eye is exposed to the wind and gets inflamed. What helps here is eyelid surgery, not duct surgery.@dr.bigeldiyev ↗
A red, hot lump by the nose, pain, swelling across half the face or a fever — that’s acute inflammation of the sac. See an ophthalmologist the same day, not a week later. And don’t apply heat: with acute inflammation, warmth can make it worse.
The clinic is open Mon–Sat 9:00–19:00. At night or on Sunday, if there is severe pain, fast-growing swelling or a fever — call 103.
Dacryocystitis in newborns: massage first, then probing
In babies, the tear path is most often closed by a single thin membrane where it opens into the nose. It isn’t cut — it’s opened. Before birth the membrane covers the duct, and after birth it should break open by itself. If it stays, tears can’t drain: the eye is wet, there are crusts in the morning, yet the white of the eye is clear.
1
See an ophthalmologist
The doctor presses the inner corner of the eye, sees what comes out and tells dacryocystitis apart from conjunctivitis. Don’t start any drops or ointments without seeing the doctor.
2
Tear sac massage at home
The doctor will show you at the appointment: with a clean finger, gently stroke down from the corner of the eye towards the side of the nose. The pressure from inside often breaks the membrane — and nothing else is needed.
3
Probing, if massage hasn’t helped
A thin, smooth probe passes along the natural path and opens the membrane. No incision or stitches, and your baby goes home with mum. By the clinic’s price list, probing is 10,000 ₸ per eye.
Babies are seen at BABY EYE CLINIC, 2A Syganak St: a parent stays with them throughout.
Babies are seen at BABY EYE CLINIC, 2A Syganak St — RB CLINIC’s children’s branch. There they’ll tell dacryocystitis apart from conjunctivitis and show you how to massage the tear sac.
“Our baby had a blocked tear duct, and at just 3 months the doctor helped us sort it out quickly and without complications”
Arina Tishkova, review of BABY EYE CLINIC, 22.04.2024
Dacryocystitis treatment in adults: from flushing to surgery
Tear duct surgery is the last step, not the first. First, drainage is restored by flushing; if that’s not enough, a probe is passed; and only if the duct is completely blocked is a new path made for the tears. Like the pipe under a sink: first you clear it, and you replace it only when there’s nothing left to clear.
1
Flushing
Tear duct flushing with medication
A thin, blunt cannula is passed through the tear opening and the path is flushed with a solution, finishing with medication placed right at the site of inflammation. It’s both treatment and a test: if you feel the solution in your nose or throat, the path is open; if it comes back out, the doctor sees where the blockage is.
5,000 ₸per procedure
2
Probing
Duct probing or widening the tear opening
If flushing is difficult, the narrowed spot is opened with a thin probe along the natural path, and tear drainage is restored. If the tear opening itself is narrow, it’s widened. No incision or stitches, home the same day.
10,000 ₸per eye · probing or widening the opening
3
Surgery
A new path from the sac to the nose
If the duct is completely blocked, there’s nothing to open — the surgeon connects the tear sac directly to the nasal cavity, bypassing the old duct. The operation is called dacryocystorhinostomy. It can be done through the nose, with no skin incision, or from the outside — the surgeon will tell you which you need after the examination.
After examinationprice given after examination and flushing
Three fears — three straight answers
“Surgery on my face”
Not everyone gets as far as surgery: first come flushing and probing, both through the tear’s natural path, with no incision.
“It’ll leave a scar”
Flushing and probing leave no trace at all. If you need surgery, it can be done through the nose with no skin incision — the surgeon will tell you whether that suits you.
“It’ll come back”
Honestly: after flushing and probing the duct can narrow again, especially with chronic inflammation. Then surgery is discussed — the new path doesn’t depend on the old duct.
Prices are from the clinic’s “Minimally invasive procedures” price list. Medication — drops and tablets — is prescribed by the doctor and bought at a pharmacy. Flushing costs 5,000 ₸ per procedure.
What happens at the appointment
How the appointment goes: your tear ducts are checked in one visit
You come in with a watery eye and leave knowing where the blockage is and what to do about it. Not a single box-ticking step: each one helps work out where your tears are going.
How long it’s been watering, one eye or both, whether there’s pus or swelling, any past nose injuries. The answers already hint at where to look.
2
Slit-lamp examination
The doctor looks at the tear openings, the lid margins and the eye itself: is there an out-turned lid, dryness or conjunctivitis, which can also make the eye water?
3
Pressing on the sac and flushing
A gentle press by the nose shows whether there’s pus. Flushing shows whether the solution reaches the nose: that’s how the blockage is found, not guessed.
4
A plan to take home
The doctor tells you straight: whether drops and flushing will do, or you need probing or surgery. And gives the price of each step before anything starts.
Step 1 of 4 · swipe sideways
Ophthalmologist consultationfrom 7,000 ₸per visit
Tear duct flushing with medication5,000 ₸per procedure
You start with a consulting ophthalmologist: they’ll find the blockage and tell you which step you need. The appointment price is shown next to each doctor’s photo, before you book. The administrator will tell you who does the flushing or probing when you book. Babies are seen at BABY EYE CLINIC — how it works.
Darbuzov Ruslan Nurlybekovich
Watery eye: tear duct flushing and probing
“Dr. Darbuzov took a professional approach to my problem, suggesting flushing and probing,” — Gulsara Yeleukenova, Yandex Maps, February 2025.
20,000 ₸ per visit · “Standard” eye check with a doctor’s consultation
The clinic’s founder is Rishat Bigeldiyev, an academician with more than 35,000 surgeries. He doesn’t do consultations — he operates, and the consulting doctors are his team. Every RB CLINIC doctor holds the “Altyn Dariger” medal. About Dr. Bigeldiyev
Our own footage, not a single stock shot
This is what an appointment at RB CLINIC and BABY EYE looks like
For adults, the examination, flushing and probing are all in one building at 12 Orynbor St: no running between three addresses. Babies are seen at the BABY EYE children’s clinic, 2A Syganak St — its room is in the photos too. Drag the strip or tap a photo.
Tell us who it’s for — you or your baby — and how long the eye has been watering. The administrator will find a time and a doctor. If you’ve already used drops or had flushing, bring your medical records.
Conversation and examination
Pressing on the sac
Flushing as a test
A plan and the price of each step
appointment from 7,000 ₸ per visitflushing 5,000 ₸ per procedureprobing 10,000 ₸ per eye
How much does dacryocystitis treatment cost in Astana?
An ophthalmologist consultation is from 7,000 ₸ per visit. Tear duct flushing with medication is 5,000 ₸ per procedure. Tear duct probing and widening the tear opening are 10,000 ₸ per eye each. The price of tear duct surgery is given after the examination. Medication is prescribed by the doctor and bought at a pharmacy.
Can dacryocystitis be treated without surgery?
Often, yes. In babies, the membrane at the duct’s exit is opened with tear sac massage, and if that doesn’t help, with probing. In adults with a narrowed duct, flushing with medication and probing help. Surgery is needed when the duct is completely blocked and flushing doesn’t get through.
Do flushing and probing hurt?
Numbing drops are put in before the procedure. The cannula and probe are thin and smooth, and they follow the tear’s natural path, with no incision. You feel pressure in the corner of the eye and the solution in your nose or throat — which means the path is open.
A newborn’s eye is watery with pus — what should I do?
Show your baby to an ophthalmologist: they’ll tell newborn dacryocystitis apart from conjunctivitis (with dacryocystitis the white of the eye is clear) and show you how to massage the tear sac. Don’t start drops without a doctor, and don’t warm the corner of the eye. If massage doesn’t help, the doctor will suggest probing.
Will there be a scar?
Flushing and probing leave no trace: everything is done through the tear opening. If you need surgery — dacryocystorhinostomy — it can be done through the nose with no skin incision, or from the outside with a small incision by the nose. The surgeon will tell you which suits your case after the examination.
Can dacryocystitis come back?
It can, if the duct narrows again: this happens with chronic inflammation. Then flushing is repeated or surgery is discussed, which creates a new path for tears from the sac into the nose, bypassing the old duct. That’s why it’s important to finish treating the inflammation and not stop the medication once you feel better: that way drainage lasts longer.
Why is neglected dacryocystitis dangerous?
Pus in the tear sac can spread into the tissues of the face: this is tear sac phlegmon — red, hot swelling, pain, fever. A fistula can form. Chronic inflammation keeps the eye constantly wet. With swelling and fever, see an ophthalmologist the same day.
How can you tell the tear path is open?
During flushing: you’ll feel the solution, put in through the tear opening, in your nose or throat — meaning the path is clear and tears can drain. If the solution comes back through the same or the neighbouring opening, the doctor sees where the blockage is and decides what to do next.
