Do blocked eye ducts prevent tears from coming out?

Q: My son is 1 year old and we have seen water coming from his eyes. On a medical check doctor asked us to press his eye ducts as he found them blocked. After such exercises the tears did not appear, on rechecking the doctor confirmed that everything was OK and said that in some cases a child's tears come out only when they grow up. So it could take 3-4 years. A few days back my son fell down and we saw tears flowing from his right eye only. Sometimes my son rubs his eyes very hard and the skin becomes pinkish. What is the problem with him?

A:While it is normal for some children to have blocked tear ducts, the children with blocked tear ducts usually have watering, that is more tears in the eyes even when they are not crying. If the doctor says that the ducts are now open then there is nothing to worry about. If there are no tears even when the child cries, then there appears to be less production of tears and that needs to be looked into. As regards rubbing-if any child rubs too hard, the eyelid/eye will turn red or pink. In case there is severe or prolonged redness, then one needs to rule out the child having any allergy, which your ophthalmologist could do.