Living With Tear Duct Stents: The Months With Silicone Tubes in Your Eye
Living With a Tear Duct Stent: What to Expect
A tear duct stent is a soft, thin silicone tube your surgeon places in the tear-drainage system to hold it open while it heals. Placing a stent through the surgical opening is meant to help keep the new drainage pathway open, and not every surgeon uses one, since opinions differ on how much it adds1 It is a temporary scaffold, not a permanent implant, and it comes out once the passage has healed.
Most people live normally with the tube in place. You may see a small loop of clear silicone at the inner corner of your eye if you look closely, and your eye can feel slightly aware of it at first. It does not sit on the surface you see through, so it does not blur your vision, and it settles into the background of daily life within days for most people.
The tube is a short-term visitor, not something you keep for good. It is usually left in for a few months while the pathway heals, then taken out in a brief office visit rather than a second operation. This page walks through what those months feel like, what is normal, and what deserves a call.
What a Tear Duct Stent Is and Why You Have One
Stents are used when the eye's tear-drainage plumbing is blocked or has just been reopened. A blocked tear duct means tears cannot drain normally, which leaves the eye watery, irritated, and at times chronically infected2 The tube helps a freshly opened channel stay open during the weeks when it would otherwise be most likely to scar closed.
In adults, the tube usually follows a specific operation. Dacryocystorhinostomy, the surgery most often used for a blocked tear duct in adults, creates a new drainage route so tears can pass from the eye into the nose, bypassing the blocked duct1 In children, a tube may instead be placed after a probing procedure to open a duct that did not clear on its own.
A stent is common but not universal. Your surgeon decides whether splinting your specific pathway open is worth it based on how your channel looked and healed during surgery. If you have a tube, that judgment was made for your particular anatomy, and it is a fair question to ask why it was chosen for you.
How the Silicone Tube Keeps the Passage Open
Think of the tube as an internal splint. It threads through the tiny tear openings at the corner of your eyelids and down into the nose, holding the walls of the drainage channel apart so healing tissue does not close the path. Silicone tubes are generally well tolerated inside the tear system over the months they are typically left in place3 That tolerance is what lets the tube do a slow job over weeks rather than days.
There is more than one design, and yours affects what to do if it loosens. A monocanalicular tube (clinical: one that passes through a single tear opening and is anchored there) sits in one canaliculus, while a bicanalicular tube threads through both the upper and lower openings and down into the nose. Ask your surgeon which you have, because the single-opening type is generally easier to reposition or remove if it slips.
Having a tube does not switch your tearing off overnight. Early on, your eye may still water while swelling settles and the new pathway matures. That is expected, not a sign the surgery failed, and it usually improves over the weeks the tube is in place. If watering suddenly worsens rather than eases, mention it at a follow-up visit.
Who Ends Up With a Tear Duct Stent
Most adults with a stent have had surgery for a blocked duct, where a silicone tube may be placed during the operation to splint the newly opened pathway. Whether you received one depends on your anatomy and your surgeon's judgment about how your channel healed on the day. If you are not sure why you have a tube, your surgeon can explain the specific reason for your case.
Tubes are also used in childhood tear duct problems. When a child's blocked tear duct does not clear on its own or after simple probing, a silicone tube may be placed to hold the duct open, and a one-opening or a two-opening design can be used with similar effectiveness4 For a young child, the tube is placed and later removed under the care of the eye team, not by the family.
The decision is individual. A surgeon weighs how tight or scarred your channel was, how it healed during surgery, and how likely it is to close without support. If you are unsure why you have a tube, that is a fair and useful question to ask at your next visit.
What to Settle With Your Surgeon About Your Tube
Know the plan before you leave the clinic. Because stents are usually kept for a set number of months and then taken out, ask for your expected removal window and what happens if life gets in the way of that appointment. Keeping the removal on schedule matters, since a tube left far longer than intended can start to cause problems of its own.
Your tube type changes your home plan. A one-opening tube is quicker to place and, if it dislodges, can often be managed at home or removed easily in the office, which makes an accidental slip less alarming4 Ask your surgeon exactly what to do if you notice the loop getting longer or the tube coming loose.
Settle the line between expected and concerning while you are together. Ask what level of tearing, irritation, or crusting is normal for your first weeks, and which specific changes should trigger a same-day call. Leaving with those thresholds written down saves a lot of worry later.
Habits and Situations to Avoid While the Tube Is In
The single most useful habit is to keep your hands gentle. Rubbing your eye hard or picking at the loop can dislodge the tube or irritate the delicate tear openings, so avoid tugging at anything you feel at the inner corner. If the tube bothers you, call your surgeon rather than adjusting it yourself.
A stent has a job with an end date. Leaving a lacrimal tube in place longer than needed can promote granulation tissue, which is why surgeons aim for a reasonable, limited duration rather than open-ended intubation3 If you have lost track of your removal date, or the tube has simply been forgotten, contact your eye team to get it checked.
Some circumstances warrant a call before you act. New nasal surgery, a planned imaging scan, or a persistent eye infection are all worth flagging to your surgeon while the tube is in. None of these are usually a crisis, but your team may want to plan around the tube rather than be surprised by it.
Your Timeline: The First Days Through Removal
The early phase is the most aware you will be of the tube. Mild irritation, a scratchy feeling, or a little extra tearing and crusting are common at first and usually ease within the first week or two. Cool compresses and any drops your surgeon prescribed help; harsh rubbing does not.
Most of the stent's life is quietly uneventful. A lacrimal stent is commonly kept in place for roughly two to five months while the drainage pathway heals, and studies have found little difference in results across that range4 During these weeks the tube mostly stays out of your way, and your watering typically improves as the new channel settles.
Getting the tube out is far simpler than putting it in. It is a brief office procedure in which your surgeon releases and slides the tube out, often in moments, sometimes with numbing drops for comfort. Most people feel only a short tug and can go about the rest of their day right away.
Complications to Know About, and a Realistic Outlook
Most issues are minor and fixable, but it helps to know them. The tube can slip or partly come out of position, which is one of the more common issues and is usually handled by repositioning or removing it rather than by anything drastic. Infection is uncommon, and cool compresses plus prompt review handle most irritation before it becomes a real problem. Serious complications are rare, and nearly all of these are managed in the clinic.
The outlook after the tube comes out is generally good. In one study of tear duct surgery with tube placement, the drainage was still working in roughly 82 to 87 of every 100 people about three months after the tube was removed3 No one can promise your individual result, but a large majority of people keep a well-draining, comfortable eye after the process is complete.
It is easy to fixate on the fact that there is a tube inside your tear system, but the everyday risk is low and the serious problems are rare. The most important thing you can do is keep your removal appointment and call early if something changes, both of which keep a small issue from turning into a setback.
Warning Signs That Mean Call Your Surgeon
A few changes deserve prompt attention rather than waiting for your next visit. Call your surgeon the same day if you see a long loop of tube hanging out or the tube clearly displaced, if you have increasing or severe pain, or if you develop spreading redness, swelling, pus, or a fever. A blocked or infected tear system can cause crusting, discharge, and a red, uncomfortable eye, so these signs are worth acting on quickly2 Acting early usually means a simple fix rather than a bigger one.
A slipped tube is common and usually not an emergency. A one-opening tube in particular is often managed at home or removed easily in the office, so a slip is typically handled calmly rather than urgently. Do not pull a loose tube out yourself unless your surgeon has specifically told you how; call them and follow their instructions.
The right person for tube questions is the surgeon who placed it, usually an oculoplastic or lacrimal specialist. Keep your scheduled follow-up visits, since these are when your team checks the tube's position, tracks your healing, and confirms the timing for removal. Between visits, a quick call beats guessing.
Common Questions About Living With Tear Duct Stents
Usually only if they look very closely. Most of the tube sits inside your tear-drainage system, out of sight. What is sometimes visible is a small clear loop at the inner corner of the eye, near the nose. It does not cover the colored part of your eye or the pupil, so it does not affect how you look to others in ordinary conversation or how you see.
Most people feel only mild awareness of it, strongest in the first days. You might notice a slight scratchy feeling or occasional tearing early on, which typically settles within a week or two. Sharp or increasing pain is not expected, and it is a reason to call your surgeon rather than to wait it out. Gentle habits around the inner corner keep the tube comfortable.
Often a few months. Many surgeons keep a lacrimal stent in for roughly two to five months while the drainage pathway heals, and the exact length within that range appears to matter less than once thought. Your surgeon will give you a specific removal window based on your surgery and your healing. Keeping that appointment matters, because a tube left too long can start to cause its own problems.
Yes, with a little care. You can cry, shower, and wash your face normally. Be gentle at the inner corner and avoid rubbing hard or picking at anything you feel there. If you wear eye makeup, keep it off the very inner corner while the tube is in and remove it gently, since scrubbing that area can irritate the tear openings or dislodge the tube.
It is a common event and usually not an emergency. One-opening tubes in particular are designed so that a slip can often be handled at home or with an easy office removal. Do not yank on a loose tube yourself unless your surgeon has shown you how. Instead, call your eye team, describe what you see, and follow their guidance on whether to come in.
The tube is part of the healing plan, not the verdict on it. It holds your new or reopened drainage channel open while tissue heals, which is a separate thing from whether your tearing is ultimately fixed. That answer becomes clearer after the tube is removed and your surgeon checks that tears drain freely. Early watering while the tube is in does not mean the operation failed.
More Questions People Ask About Tear Duct Tubes
Removal is quick and much simpler than placement. It is a brief office procedure in which your surgeon releases and slides the tube out, often in moments. Most people feel only a short tug or mild pressure rather than real pain. Numbing drops may be used for comfort. Afterward you can usually return to your normal day right away, and your surgeon will tell you what to watch for as the last of the healing finishes.
For most people, drainage stays open after removal, though no result is guaranteed. In studies of tear duct surgery with a tube, a large majority of people still had working drainage a few months after the tube came out. Your own outcome depends on your anatomy and healing, which is why your surgeon rechecks your drainage after removal rather than assuming the tube alone settled it.
Generally yes. A tear duct stent does not stop you from flying or traveling. The main practical points are to keep your removal appointment on the calendar and to know how to reach your eye team if something changes while you are away. If a long trip would overlap your removal window, ask your surgeon whether to adjust the timing before you go.
It is best avoided. Leaving a lacrimal tube in well beyond the planned time can encourage granulation tissue and other irritation in the tear system, which is why removal is scheduled rather than open-ended. This is not usually a sudden danger, but a forgotten tube should be checked. If you are unsure whether yours is overdue for removal, contact your eye team to confirm.
- Do I have a one-opening or two-opening tube, and what should I do if it slips?
- What is my expected removal date, and who removes it?
- How much tearing, crusting, or irritation is normal for me in the first weeks?
- Which specific changes should make me call you the same day?
- Are there activities or products I should avoid near my eye while the tube is in?
- How will we know whether my drainage is working after the tube comes out?
- American Academy of Ophthalmology (EyeNet / Current Insight) (2019). Dacryocystorhinostomy: An Update.
- American Academy of Ophthalmology (EyeSmart) (2023). What Is a Blocked Tear Duct?.
- Frontiers in Medicine (peer-reviewed comparative study) (2022). Endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy with short-term, pushed-type bicanalicular intubation vs. pulled-type monocanalicular intubation for primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction.
- American Academy of Ophthalmology (Current Insight) (2018). Treatment options after failed nasolacrimal duct probing.