My Son Has This Green Gunky Stuff in His Eyes

You can put a little breastmilk in his eye to help clear it out. Sounds weird, I know, but it's worth a try. He might just have a clogged tear duct which is no big deal and will open on it's own eventually. It's also possible that it's something more serious so it's worth a call to the pediatrician.

My two cents says it may just be blocked tear ducts which my daughter had at 3 months. (and two friends babies also had) I was told to take a lukewarm washcloth and rub from the top of the eye down to remove the gunk and to help open up the tear duct. It cleared on its own in about 2 weeks. It was scary looking and not fun for anyone, but not harmful.

However, I did take my daughter in to the doctor for the diagnosis and hope you do the same. Always err on the side of caution!

Hi K.,

That is conjunctivitis aka pink-eye. It can be caused by a number of different viruses or bacteria. Breastmilk does help because it is antibacterial. A lot of doctors prescribe antibiotic ointment as a precaution, but I would be careful about taking it because if the pink-eye is viral, the ointment does nothing. Really, it's just a cold in the eye. Be cautious because it is very, very contagious, but otherwise it usually goes away on its own (like a cold).

Hi K.
Im not sure how old Briadyn is? has the colour of the stuff changed or just the amount? Is his eye or the area around it red or sore looking - if so then he needs to see a doctor. Under one year the tear duct isn't properly formed in some children and it blocks easily if theres no redness/smell then keep cleaning it with cooled boiled water on some cotton wool if he is breastfed you can use breast milk to clean it (its full of antibiotics that will help prevent infections)hope that helps

A wet, warm washcloth. Using only water, no soap. Gently wash your baby boy's eyes, wiping down. You need to take him to the doctor to see what's causing this, as you've indicated in past posts he's fairly young. It could be an airborne allergen. But a wash cloth or even a cotton square that is soaked in water that will help wash/loosen the discharge. They may culture the discharge to make sure of what is causing this. Take good care of yourself and your baby.

My little guy had gunky eyes this past winter, and it turned out to be a combination eye/ear infection. I'd definitely take call his doctor to see if they want to see him.

Best of luck!

probably pink eye, it's highly contagious. He will need medicine.

My first thought is that he has clogged tear ducts. My daughter had this issue when she was about two weeks old. However, since it is green it could be more serious. The doc told me that as long as it was clear or light yellow-ish that she was ok, but green sometimes means infection. I would DEFINITELY call the pediatrician. In the meantime wipe with a damp cottonball from the inside out. Also, massage the inside of his nose (right along the inner corner of his eyes). This will help if it's clogged tear ducts. Good luck.

Hi K.
Sounds like pink eye, call the pediatrician!

best of luck to you!!!
*K

You may have already gotten this response but it sounds like pink eye and you should get him in right away because it is highly contagious. Until you get him in though make sure to keep his hands away from his face as much as possible and wash your hands often or put antibacterial handwash often, even when treating him.

Please put in a call to your pediatrician. This could be an eye infection, which are actually fairly common in newborns, but can lead to complications. The pediatrician will prescribe some eyedrops or ointment if necessary and teach you how to properly clean you baby's eyes (use a soft cloth or cotton ball and water and wipe gently starting at the inner corner. Use a new cotton ball for each eye).

Its always a good idea to put a call into your ped if you're unsure about something. If you are breast feeding you can try a little trick I learned. Try dripping some breast milk into his tear duct a few times a day. If it doesn't clear up then its probably something that needs a doctor's attention. It also depends on how old he is. Its normal for most newborns to get that gunky buildup in one or both eyes. But if he's old enough to be sitting up and eating solids than he really should go see a doctor.
Good luck!

There is a great homeopathic product for pink eye that I use for my children. I can't remember the name, but I get it at Walgreens. The Pharmasist could show you. Works great, does not sting, and saves you a trip to the doctor. Check the lower part of his eye, if it is pink or red and his eyes are glassy, he probably has pink eye. Use a warm rag to clean his eyes and get rid of the gunk then use the drops. Make sure he washes his hands if he touches his face. If he has a cold however, you may want to call the pediatrician as he could have a sinus infection also. Good Luck!

It sounds like your son has pink eye - very common and very contagious. You will need to get prescription ointment or drops from your pediatrician. It will clear up very quickly.

Sounds like pink eye, get him to the doctor.

you probably should see a doctor! Don't want to do anything to damage his eyes...

Try gently wiping the eyes with a damp cotton ball. Eye infections are common in young babies and you may need to go to the pediatrician for an antibiotic ointment. But I would at least try the cotton ball first and see if it helps.

wow.

late to the party, here, sorry ...

sometimes this is just overflow up the tear ducts from his nose if a baby has a stuffy head cold ... generally in our family, as soon as the rest of the cold clears up the eyes clear up.

I didn't figure out until I was an adult (LOL) that the stuff gluing my eyes shut sometimes was just boogers ;). I call them "eye boogers" with my kids now.

Babies get them more directly from their noses, so they tend to be more disgusting colors : P ... when my last one was sick, especially, I could seeeee them leaking out! Eeeeew! Eew eew eeewwwww!

Anyhow, I hope your little guy is OK or nearly so by now :).

Thank you for bringing your baby into the world; you already know :) the world is blessed for it :).

sounds like conjunctivitis which is pink eye. You have to take him to the DR to get the right meds.
It could also be a blocked tearduct, but don't take the chance. Let the doctor check.

Sounds like conjunctivitis (pink eye)--it may be bacterial or it may be viral. A warm wet washcloth will help clear it so he can open his eyes, but you should definitely see the doc. They will likely prescribe either drops or ointment which will clear it up quickly. Pink eye is very contagious, so the sooner he gets in to the doc the better. Also, in newborns (don't know how old yours is), pink eye can be caused by an incompletely opened tear duct. Treatment is the same.

Sounds like a case of pink eye. I would take him to his pediatrician to have a look at it. Just to be on the safe side. Also, in the meantime, you can take a warm washcloth and fold it into a small square. Take the corners of the washcloth and wipe his eyes. Be careful as not to use the same corner for both eyes...which can cause the infection (if this is what it is) to spread. Change corners of the washcloth every time you wipe. Don't forget to be gentle! :D Good luck hon!

Hi! my youngest had eye gook from the time he was born and then for awhile after that too. i'm not sure how old your son is, but if you're still breastfeeding you can squirt some of your milk in his eye. i know it sounds funny! but breastmilk is some amazing stuff!! seriously liquid gold. after i was done breastfeeding he got some gook again i think he was sick maybe, but i had a friend of mine who was still nursing her son squirt some in my son's eye-so it doesn't even have to be yours! it worked great, cleared up fast. sorry i don't have any other remedies. good luck though!

Hi K.,
I would call his pediatrician. My son had that and I think they said it was a clogged tear duct which is very common during their first year. I believe they had us use a warm wash cloth to wipe his eye clean. There might be something else going on so I would call the pediatrician's office and let them know. Don't hesitate to call them about anything even if it might seem silly. It's hard to know what to do the first time around. Good luck.
S.

CALL THE PEDIATRICIAN as soon as possible. This could be what they call pink-eye and can be very serious. Take him to the doctor without delay. You don't say how old your baby is but unless he can speak he can't tell you how miserable he feels.

P.S. After responding I can't believe how many have suggested remedies for this rather than see a doctor. Run do not walk to the doctor with your child. If it's nothing then it's nothing but on the off chance it's something there is no time to waste. I am a very experienced grandmother who has been caring for infants since I was eleven years old and who was never the sort to freak out when my kids became ill but you just don't want to fool around with your childs eyes.

A lot of responses have suggested pink eye, but this could also be blocked tear ducts. My son had this until he was 9 months old. Usually it clears itself by age 1, otherwise they can do a little "probing" procedure to open the ducts.

Either way, you should take him to see the doc asap.

My daughter had something similar at about two months old... I was afraid it was an eye infection and brought her to the pediatrician. It was only a blocked tear duct luckily. She prescribed some ointment so that it would not turn into an infection. I would definitely call the doc and also keep wiping it down with a warm facecloth. Also my pediatrician told me to also wipe the warm facecloth on both sides of the baby's nose and sinus area - the heat helps free up the tear duct apparently. Hopefully it is not an infection.

Depending on his age, if he is an infant, it could be a plugged tear duct and you should consult his doc. about cleaning and draining it.

Another possibility, it could be a sinus infection that is really bad and has nowhere else to go, but out his tear ducts.

You need to take him to the doctor as soon as possible to have him checked out.

Good luck to you,
Darlen

I would call a pediatrician. Because I learned with my son, when children are small, sometimes the only sign they have of an ear infection is junk in their eyes. You wouldn't want that to go undetected.

It is most likely Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye) and will require antibiotics. Take him to the doctor, it is highly contagious, the doctor will recommend that you treat both eyes even if only one is showing signs of infection. Try to keep him from rubbing his eyes. You can use a soft warm CLEAN washcloth to wipe away the gunk in the morning but make sure you do not use the same part of the cloth for both eyes then immediately toss it in the wash.

Hi K.,

I have 2 little boys (3 1/2 and 2) and when my younger one gets a cold his eyes will often get really goopy. He had a slightly clogged tear duct and his eyes would water quite a bit, so I think that made it worse. I find the best think is just a warm wet wash cloth (or cotton balls), and if I clean it off when he wakes up and after his nap it is usually gone in a few days.

The other think it could be is pink eye. Do the whites of his eyes and the insides of his eyelid look red? If so you need some drops to put in his eyes for a few days.

I would say give the dr. a call and maybe they can advise you over the phone, or tell you if you should bring him in to get checked.

Kind of off topic, but I want to wish you good luck with raising your son, being a mom is the hardest (and most rewarding!) job out there. I have friends that had children young also and now, while I'm deep in potty training, their kids are almost out of high school. I think there are benefits to doing it both ways, and wish you the best!

P.S. Just read some of the other responses - and my dr. also recommended squirting breast milk in the eye, which I did, and it did seem to help. Forgot about that!

gently with a warm damp rag. start from the inner corner and wipe away from the eye. if it persists, then call your pediatrician.

K.,
Good for you for being such a good and diligent mom looking for advice when you have questions. When I had the same thing happen to me a while ago, the nurse said it was bacterial and I had to come in and be seen. It can be contagious,so you should take him to the doctor.
Good Luck!

keep them wiped off with a warm wash cloth. happened to my son when he was a newborn.

That sounds like a bit of an infection from the color description. Doc is probably good. My best friend's (who is a prenatal nurse and a lactation consultant)daughter had a plugged tear duct when she was first born and she said that she took her to a cranial sacral therapist and also used breastmilk (of all things) to heal it. Perhaps it's a plugged tear duct? I wouldn't jump to putting anything that is not recommended by a nurse or doctor in it, just in case it could mess up his vision in anyway. Good luck to you.

K. I would call your pediatrician. It's always better to be safe than sorry. There are no silly questions when it comes to parenting! :)