Nasolacrimal duct patency

The use of fluorescein dye to assess nasolacrimal duct patency was assessed unilaterally in four yearling females and bilaterally in four adult males. A fluorescein sodium ophthalmic strip (Fluorets, Chauvin Pharmaceuticals) was dipped in saline solution and stroked across the lower bulbar conjunctiva. Blinking allowed the dye to spread throughout the eye. Alpacas were assessed initially up to 39 minutes after dye application, then again one hour later, for the presence of dye at the nostrils.