Clogged Tear Duct??

My 11 week old had this problem as well and luckily it has gone away already.
Believe it or not, an old-fashioned remedy worked the best for us. A teaspoon of boric acid (not really an acid - the name is kinda scary though) dissolved in warm water (like a small cereal bowl) and applied with a q-tip. I did it several times a day - anytime there was gunk. It really helped clear it up until the duct finally unclogged.
My pediatrician said it could last up to a year! So it is important to make them as comfortable as possible while they are dealing with this crud blocking their vision.
Good luck,
D.

My daughter had a blocked tearduct for quite some time. Warm water compresses (a warm washcloth held on for 5-10 minutes will do fine) work nicely but may be a little hard with a baby that small. There are also some very good prescription salves available.

Gently massage the area around the inner corner of her eye. Start from about the eyebrow around the inner corner down kind of along where the nose and cheek meet. Easier to show than to describe. My baby had the same problem, it didn't go away but it cleared up quicker than it would have with out massaging it.

My baby had this same problem for about 4 months. I put breastmilk in her eyes and I massaged the duct several times a day. It cleared up and we haven't had a problem since. She is 10 months old now.

My son had a clogged duct from birth until around 6 months old. Poor thing - we called him pop=eye because evry time he woke up his one eye was crusted shut! We did the massaging and degunking until it finally just cleared up on its own. Our ped had said if it was still clogged at a year he could go in a open it up, but that never had to be done.

It's really not a big deal, but it does look gross. Just take a warm wet baby wash cloth and massage the tear duct for a few minutes. It should clear up in about 3 or 4 days.

Hi D.. My daughter is 3 now, but has always had that problem, especially in particular seasons. Lately her eye has gotten worse ... even red and dry in the corners and below her eye, just from her rubbing it. I took her to the doctor and they prescribed Tobrex (an eye drop), that is basically for allergies/an infection. I have given it to her for about 5 days and her eye is almost completely better! Like I said, she is 3 so for you, that medication might not be right for your baby, but I would consider her having bad allergies?. I hope this helps!

I'm a mother of now 6 month old twins and my twin B had the exact same problem. My Pediatrician said to rub the are where the eye and nose meet with your pinky finger (since it's the only one that will fit perfectly) Rub it everytime you think about it and rub it with a little bit of pressure. I did this and sometimes the gunk would either squirt out or the eye would gather it up again ten minutes after I did it. Within two to three weeks it finally stopped.
If it gets hard and crusty to where the eye is stuck shut, with a soft towel and warm water you can set it free. Then Rub with your pinky to get some more out.
Good Luck!

D.,
My daughter had that too when she was little. they told me to massage the corner of eye where the duct is. That was 19 years ago so I can't remember it being a big problem so it must have worked.
Lonie

D.,
I have done this before. You can use a product called Master's Miracle. You can find it on the web. Or I have a friend that could give the the details on how to get some. She orders it for me. This stuff is like water but it is extremely beneficial for a lot of things. I have used it as mouthwash, eye drops, etc. It is safe for human consumption. It is really good.

It also sounds like it might be allergy related. You might see about getting her allergy tested. This is always good to do sooner rather than later. You might be surprised at how well she might do if no longer exposed to whatever she is allergic to. Although, if I remember right, they have to be a certain age before allergy testing...not sure.

Good luck,
S.

my son had the same problem. i was constantly wiping his messy eyes for the longest. Then my mom kept telling me what she would do when she wiped his face or gave him a bath. Just simple warm water & massage with the wash cloth. Well when it was real bad the pediatrician prescribed this cream that you just apply on the bottom part of the lid. that stuff cleared it up RIGHT away. but if you don't want to do any meds, the massage & warm water should do the deal. yeah it'll take a while, but my pediatrician said the same thing when it comes to it being common and normal.

D.,

3 of my 4 kids got this - and each time I would take a warm wash cloth during EVERY FEEDING (during the day) and massage the duct for about a mins or so (as long as the baby would allow) and it helped - it took weeks in some cases.

Good luck!
T.

i felt the same way with my daughter, it took several months but it did go away, an the warm water and stuff doesn't unclog the duct it just helps to clean it up. Just be patient, don't stress over it and all will be fine. It could be worse, my cousin doesn't have tear ducts at all. she has never cryed with tears and she is 13 Years old!
Good luck. It is normal.
L. Jo

My babies was like that for months. My ped. gave me eye drops of an antibiotic to put in it and told me to massage it close to his nose kind of firmly but be careful of your fingernails. That worked and no more problems. My other kids had the same deal early but not infected and as long. Good luck.

Hi D.! First of all, Congratulations on the new baby. My son had the same problem and my ped told me to massage they tear duct and when I clean his eye to use a warm washcloth. (The warm washcloth if placed on the teardrop area for a little bit also thins the mucus so that is can drain easier. Just be careful with the warmth. But you already new that!) Also, to use a couple of drops of breast milk. I know that sound weird, I was like "what". But its natural and it is amazing how well it worked. And the clogged teardrop will go away eventually. It seems I also let him cry a little bit more, as well. Good luck and Congrats!

P.S. I have a baby in my daycare that still gets a clog teardrop when she gets her vaccinations so now they have to do each vaccination one at a time. I don't think this will happen with your child but I just thought I would share that tidbit of info. My son didn't have this happen with his vaccinations.

If you are breast feeding you can squirt some breast milk in the eye it may help it has healing properties. I did that with mine who had conjunctivitis and it worked but some need an eye drop to help it heal... I would go to an eye dr if it does not get better soon and the pedi wont help.

A. J

D.,
Congrats on your little one!
We had this same problem and I would agree with the others that massaging, warm washcloth and breast milk all do great. I would massage at each feeding. This just seemed to be the perfect time as she was distracted by the feeding and it reminded me to do it regularly and obviously, several times a day. It did take a while to clear up but it did work!
Good luck and congrats!

If you breast feed, try squirting some breast milk in the babys eye. I know this sounds strange... but it really works! My mom had told me to try it with my son, and I told my sisters about it with their children too. My neice had a clogged tear duct so bad, that they were talking about having to do some minor surgery. I told her about the breast milk, and it was gone. Try doing it just about everytime you nurse.
Good luck!

Don't worry too much about the tear duct. My daughter had one as well. Just keep massaging. If it doesn't go away, there are two things you can do. You go see an opthamologist--we used Dr. Leffler in Plano. They can try to open it in an office procedure. Not a fun thing for you or the baby--they strap them down to a papoose board and then use a probe to open it. In 99% of the cases (don't quote me on that statistics--I made it up), that works. In our case, we had to have a stint inserted in a very short surgery. The stint stayed in for about 12 weeks, I think, and then they took it back out. Worked great. She has had no trouble since them.

We didn't do anything until she was 9 months or so. I wouldn't rush it. It isn't hurting her, although it doesn't look pretty. Good luck!

Same here...just massage the area when giving a bath or changing a diaper. Not too much pressure but just enough to move the duct around. I also started letting my son cry a bit longer then usual but not by much...our pediatrician suggested this and it killed me but it helped his duct clear out.

My son is now 8 years old with no problems...well, at least with his tears :0)

J.

I know it's very annoying. My kids both had these. What I did is I got a warm washcloth, and I put it a little below their eye by the bridge of their nose and I would gently massage the area a few times a day. It seems after doing that a few times, it finally unclogged.

Good luck!

My daughter had the same problem at her 2wk ckup. They told me the same things that they told you. I was constantly massaging her tear duct and it seemed to help a tad. By her 2month ckup it was still happening from time to time. They gave me some drops and they seemed to work. The doc also told me that this could last up to one yr of age. f that is the case, they will then go in to unblock the tear duct. Most of the time it clears up on its own. My daughter is 16months now and she hasnt had that problem since probably her 9month ckup. I was constantly massaging her eye at almost every diaper change...it became habit and I think I may have helped it out..Good Luck

My 9 month old had it at that age too. My doctor prescribed drops for us to put in 2 times a day and we also massaged the area. It cleared up within a couple of days. You might call your doctor and tell him that it has not cleared up and find out if he can call you in something.

I was told to put a warm wet washcloth over their eyes while feeding and then gently massage the tear duct. If that doesnt help, my doctor perscribed some drops that cleared it up right away. Its called Tobramycin Pphthaimic Solution .3%. Hope that helps.

Both my boys had it as have most of my friend's sons. It is not a big deal but it is kind of yucky to deal with until it goes away. Did your Dr. not explain to you how to massage the duct to clear it? Each time you nurse or feed your son, gently massage the clogged duct. It is the little lump in the corner of his eye by his nose. I have NEVER heard to use baby shampoo and would NOT put that near my son's eyes. Really, just massage it at every feeding, wipe it with a clean cotton ball to keep away the goo and it should go away in a few weeks. Your Dr. should have given you an ointment to clear the infection (which is the goo). If you didn't get an ointment and you didn't get an explanation from your pediatrician on massaging it out, you need a new dr.! :)

Good luck.

My son has the same thing. He used to wake up with his eye glued shut. The good news is that it gets better. He's 6 months old now and that eye is still a little weepy a lot of the time but it's not bad. My doctor suggested that I gently massage the inside corner of his eye with a clean finger and that would encourage it to open and drain. I'm not always good about doing in and he doesn't really enjoy it now but if you start now and she gets used to it, it should help. I also read that same technique online. Good luck!
Oh, on a side note, I have a friend who's 2 year old eventually had a tiny tube put in her tear duct to keep it open. They said it's been great. Hopefully it won't come down to that but if it's still an issue in a couple of years, that is always an option.

hi there my child had the same thing and my doc said use warm water and massage gently with my pinky finger right under eye towards the tear duct and that it would help it unclogged and correct itself. And it lasted quite a while for my kiddo too I thought it would never go away but it did.

I know this sounds crazy but I got this advice from my ped, my mother, and LLL friends and it works. If you are nursing you can try squirting a little breastmilk in the eye a few times a day. I did it at diaper changes because it was easy to reach her eye at that time. The milk has some properties that clear up the gunk. Go figure.

Are you massaging it gently with the tip of your pinky finger? Cut your nail really short and wash your hands. Then massage it in a circular motion. Do this several times a day. My babies both had the same problem.

My youngest had the same problem for what seemed like forever when he was the same age. There really wasnt anything I could do about it other than constantly keeping it wiped away with a soft, warm, wet cloth. It will clear up soon. I know it doesnt look pleasant, but it doesnt bother the baby, just us. Just be patient.

Don't wipe the eye, it will simply cause more irritation. You can use warm moist compresses to loosen any of the gunk, but your doc is right that it will eventually clear up and it is really common. One of the tricks that we learned with our first (great pedi. that we had in another state) was a few drops of breastmilk in the eye and massage the tear duct! The milk has amazing properties (especially in the colostrum) and it works really well. Our subsequent pedis. have agreed that they use this trick too. So, if you are breastfeeding your little one, you might give it a try.

My baby had the same thing. You need to gently massage the area just below her tear duct and to the side of the bridge of her nose twice a day for a minute each time. It might take awhile for it to clear up too. 6% of kids are born with this and the majority clear up on their own by age 1. If it doesn't you'll get referered to an eye specialist (6 months at the earliest) and they will do a simple procedure to open it. Personally I would wait up to a year for it to clear on it's own. Good Luck.

My son's eye did that for his first two months. It shows back up every so often. It was a clogged tear duct and very common in babies. I just used a warm wash rag to clean it off. His eye tends to be a little crusty when his allergies flair up. I don't know if there is a way to get rid of a clogged tear duct in babies. You'll probably just have to wait it out. It's not fun as they look so pitiful.

The NICU nurse at Arlington Memorial told me to rub the corner of the eye in a circular motion. Malachi's eye was cleared up in a couple of days.