The present attitude towards the treatment of obstruction of the lacrimal ducts should be based on traditional methods, but modified to take into account recent advances which allow "modern surgery" to be applied. These new procedures are based on two relatively recent new acquisitions: 1) A precise knowledge of the physiology of the lacrimal pump, mainly due to the work of Lester T. Jones. It is important to know hen this pump has been destroyed as any attempt at repair is doomed to fail. We do not yet know how to reconstruct this pump. If minor damage has occurred however, attempts at repair operations may be successful. 2) Simplification of the operative procedure, both for dacryocystorhinostomies and lacodacryocystorhinostomies. Complex reconstructive procedures which often failed have been replaced by the application of a tube made of an inert material, and this is much simpler and gives much more constant results.