constant watery eye and facial pain

[Gypsy630]

My left eye has been watery excessivly for more than two months and three weeks ago I woke up with exteme pain on the left side of my face.  The pain is still there.  After seeing an emergency doctor, who did cat scans which all turned out negative, I am on Vacadin and 800 mg of Advil two to three times a day.  The odd things is that when I lay down on the painful side of my face, the pain will completely subside within about 20 - 30 min.  My left tear duck seems to be swollen and when this first happened, parts of my face (also on the left side) were also swollen.  The swelling seems to have gone, but the pain remains.  Do you think I have an impacked or blocked tear duck or perhaps its facial neuralgia?

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

An infected tear duct is an emergency requires oral antibiotics, antibbiotic drops/oitment and sometimes lancning the tear sac. Afterwards may need a dacryocystorhinostomy of creating of a new tear duct.

Contact an ophthalmologist ASAP. Also see your personal GP.

JCH IIMD

[EyeNut]

I would consult with an ophthalmologist first. The placement you describe is consistent with how the lacrimal (tear) drainage system runs. Blockage could very well cause quite a bit of excess tearing.

An ophthalmologist will be able to check whether such blockage is present, and whether the lacrimal sac, a small space where the tear liquid stops on it's way to the nose, and later the throat, might be inflamed or infected, causing your pain.

[Gypsy630]

My pain is primarily on the left side of my face from the tear duck and proceeding down the left side of my nose.  The pain is a sharp stabbing burning pain that is constant.  The pain killers do make my pain free.  Wearing my glasses aggravates it.  My eyes are fine and do not hurt at all and I am not any more light sensitive than normal.  There has been some swelling below my left eye, but that seems to have disappeared.  From the research I've done, it seems that it is either a blocked tear duck or trigeminal neuralgia.  But neither of these would explain the eye watering as much as it does.  
By the way, my eye does not hurt in the least.

[EyeNut]

Could you give as detailed information as possible? Is there anything that worsens the pain, or a specific place on the left side of the face which is more tender? Is it sharp pain or is it more dull. Do your eyes them self seem different? Puffed up, more redness and such? Do you feel you've become more light sensitive since?

Any added information would be greatly appreciated. Also, does the advil and vicadin make you completely pain free?