Clogged Tear Duct... - Sulphur Springs,TX

My daughter had clogged tear ducts and the Dr. had me make put warm compress on her eye and the gently massage her eye (by the bridge of her nose) We have not had any long term problems. I hope this helps

My son had the same problem, and I would suggest what everyone else has said, rub it with a warm cloth. His doctor also suggested putting a little no-tear shampoo on the cloth. It has worked so far, and he's 4 1/2 now. Also, we noticed it has remained clear as long as he takes a multi-vitamin. Don't know why that would have anything to do with it, but it makes a difference! I know they have them available in infant drops, if you wanted to try it. Good luck!

My daughter had the same thing in both eyes. The doctor didn't give us anything either. The first eye cleared up within about 6 months. He was going to give her a year - the second eye cleared up just before her birthday. There's really not anything to do for it - just keep wiping her eyes. Mine always looked like she was crying. Good luck.

C.,

Don't worry about her clogged duct. My daughter had one until she was 16 months old. The doctor I saw at Presby Plano tried pressing on the channel, but it didn't work. We also tried a steroid eye drop, but it didn't work either. Just keep it clean and treat with antibiotic drops if it becomes infected. My doctor was willing to perform the invasive probe procedure to unblock it, but he said all ducts eventually open if you're willing to wait. I was and it opened. Good luck.

D.

Massage with a warm wash cloth and drop a drop of breast milk in her eye. This worked for us with our new born last year.

Hi C.,
My daughter had the same problem at that age. We were instructed to wash our hands well and then gently massage the area. It cleared up after awhile. It would come back occasionally and we would do the same thing. Eventually it just stopped.
Hope that works for you!

My daughter had a clogged tear duct when she was little and my pediatrician told me to massage it every time I nursed her. I just took my thumb and gently rubbed it. It worked. A. B.

Ask her Dr. for an eye ointment to use. We used the ointment for about 4 months and saw some minor improvement, but not much.

Finally, when my son was around 9 months old, we had the probing procedure to unblock the tearducts. (It was both eyes, constant and very severe. They put numbing ointment in his eyes, and then shot saline through the duct with a long needle and all this gunk came out.) His ducts lightly bled for about 2-3 days, and we never had a problem since.

My Dr. wanted to wait several more months, but I got a second opinion b/c my son was having a hard time having his eyes clogged shut all the time. Also, when you wait too long, the baby gets harder to hold for the procedure, and if that is the case, than they will have to sedate, and that's not preferred.

In the meantime, there is a way to massage the duct, hoping it will unclog on it's own. It works well if the case isn't severe, but like us, that didn't work either.

Here is a picture of the duct, this is where you will need to massage.

http://www.eyemdlink.com/EyeProcedure.asp?EyeProcedureID=32

This was the case with my now 6 year old son. He was that way from day one until about 6 months when he was able to have it cleared by the doctor. It was done in a matter of seconds literally! He opened the tear duct right in the office and although it was uncomfortable for my son, it happened so fast. So, I'd wait it out until he's able to get that procedure done. Just massage it with a warm wet cloth in the meantime to clear it out as often as necessary. Good luck!

My son had the exact same thing, and it did go away before 6 months or earlier. When we would give him a bath, we would gently massage the area around the tear duct. With your index finger you start at the corner of her eye and move gently downward. As if directing the tears away from the eye. Good luck.

Hi, my daughter had that also, and the dr told me to use a wet warm cloth and apply it to the area, that worked for my daughter. Let me know if that helps. K.

my son had the same problem and i regret that i wait till 6 month. we went to ophthalmologist and it took just 10 min to fix it. he said it's better not to wait later then 9 month. after that age kids need some anesthesia and it's harder for them to handle. so if massaging don't work for you just go to a doctor and fix it.

My son had one too when he was an infant. What our pediatrician told us to do was to massage the duct, gently, while he was nursing or taking a bottle. One day after doing this for 3 days a big yellow glop of goop came out of the duct and it was fine. Dont worry too much, apparently this is common in little ones! Good luck.

Hi C.,

I just read this and I am actually taking my 3 year old to the doc today to get his checked. His has been clogged for months and months so if you want to shoot me your email I will let you know what he says???

S.

My son also had a clogged tear duct when he was born. We were instructed to massage the corner of the eye like some of the previous responses have suggested and given drops. Unfortunately none of this helped so he had to have a very minor surgery at 10 months. They did it in the specialist's office and it was just a probe to unclog it. That worked perfectly and he's been fine since (now he's 5). Hopefully the massaging will help with your daughter.

My DD had this as well. Our pediatrician gave us a year and also told us to use a warm compress and massage the corner of the eye. It cleared up right before she turned one.

My mom worked as a nurse in the newborn nursery at one of the local hospitals, and when my child would get clogged tear ducts, she suggested that I gently massage the inner corner of her eye (where the tear duct is). It always worked great. Hope that helps.

My daughter is 3 months and has this also. We were told that she will most likely outgrow it by 6 months. Our doctor told us that we would be able to tell if it was infected and if that happened she would give us eye drops. It got infected once and was very obvious to us because we had to wipe it out every half hour. She gave us drops that we used for 10 days. Now it's back to the normal problem where we have to wipe it a few times a day. I don't think drops help unless it's infected.

Anyway, we're just waiting and hoping she will outgrow it.

My oldest also had a clogged tear duck. My pediatrician waited until he was a year old to care about it. He just told us to keep massaging the corner, where is his tear duct is. Your pinky finger is best for that. When we went into see the ophthalmologist he was appalled that we had not come to see him sooner. So I would just go ahead and take her to the ophthalmologist. My son did have to have the surgery (because he was a year old it meant being at the hospital and being put under)and that works just fine and their were no ill side effects (other than on our pocket book).

I had the same issue with my daughter. Our Doctor advised to wipe with a warm damp cotton ball, then the massage the inner corner of the affected eye with my finger. I did this everytime it started to discharge. There were days her eye was completely crusted...I was freaked out! In any event, with constant cleaning, her eye cleared up in about two weeks. Apparently its common. If the discharge turns dark yellow, her eye turns red or bloodshot, and or swollen it may be infected and she will need to go back to the Doctor.

Good Luck.

Hi. My son had one since he was born and we had to wait until he was 6 mos old to have it professionally opened. The doctors did not recommend treating it any other way. I would just wait. I know it can be a little gross sometimes and inconvenient, but I'm sure you wouldn't want to jeopardize his eye health. The great news is that after it was done (just one visit and about 10 mins), he has never had another issue. He really doesn't produce any "sleep" in his eyes at all.
I hope that this comforts you somewhat.

Breastmilk!! My ped said the same thing about massaging the ducts there, and then told me to put breastmilk in the eye to help clear it up. It was amazing - the duct cleared up overnight!! I kept doing it for a few more days to make sure, but it was gone and hasn't come back (that was almost 2 months ago). So if you are breastfeeding, I recommend trying that! We just put some in an eye dropper and dropped it in. It really felt like a miracle.

Hey there! My daughter was also born with the blocked tear duct. She is now 8months old and she still has it from time to time. My doctor has told me that I just need to massage it with a warm cloth. Everytime her eye acts up, I massage it and after a few times of that it clears up. It doesnt happen everyday just every once in a while. Her pediatrician said that it could keep happening all the way to the age of one year. He said that if by a year it hasnt cleared itself then they will send her to an eye doctor. It has been about 2-3months since we had an episode with her eye....just give it a good massage everytime you think about it...the child isnt going to like it, but it does work..Good Luck!

a friend of mine took her little boy to the chiropractor and the problem went away. it has been about 6mo and you never would have known he had a problem. good luck i hope this helps

Hey C.,
My daughter had the same thing, only hers never unclogged. We tried everything the other moms suggested....massage, breat milk...everything, but nothing would unclog it. After her first birthday, my peditrician suggested to have it probed to unblock it. It was a small office procedure...not easy because she was so scared-as was I, but it worked! She is almost 3 now and it has never clogged up again!!

I understand your concerns. Both of my daughters had similar problems. Clogged tear ducts are tricky and often simply resolve themselves. As your doctor probably explained, there are no eye drops or medication to resolve the matter. The best advice we received was to use a warm compress to rub the inside corner of the eye in a circular motion a couple of times a day to try to eliminate the clog. If that does not work, you may need to see a specialist who will examine your daughter and see if further treatment is needed. These treatments can range from blowing air through the duct to reconstructive surgery (which you need to do when the child is young - usually under 2). We used Dr. Stanger in Dallas for this exam. He is excellent.

Good luck.

Breastmilk...it works wonders for stuff like this. When my son was in the NICU they lady next to me recommended it cause my son had the same problem. I just would squirt it in his eye when I was feeding him...may sound gross but it works great!! Good luck!

Many years ago, my daughter had the same problem at birth. We waited until she was almost two years old before we had the procedure done. The doctor back then had be put my index finger sort of between her little nose and cheek, over the duct and gently "roll" my finger upward toward her eye. The tip of my finger was right at the duct and not actually touching her eye. Just light massage. Hope it works for you. I don't think it could hurt.
Good Luck!
C. S.

C.,
My son had one too and there is nothing you can do at home to unclog it. It has to be done by the opthamologist. My son's did not resolve and to be surgically corrected but it was a fast procedure and he seemed to recover very quickly. Hopefully your daughter's will resolve on it's own, though. Also, congrats on your 2 and 4 year anniversaries. My husband and I are celebrating our 6 month wedding anniversary today as well!
M.

Warm compress (or rag)...put on tear duct...rub in circular motion. My son had it twice when he was a baby. Worked every time. Good luck!