My son has had a clogged tear duct since he was about 3 months old. His Ped got concerned now that he's 12 months and sent us to an ophthalmologist. The eye dr said to put a warm compress on it twice per day for 5-10 minutes. I laughed and said how will that be possible with a wiggly one year old. He said to put it on right before he wakes up so that he's sleeping and if he wakes not a big deal since he was getting ready to wake anyway. My boy, wakes as soon as the cloth touches his face then he throws a fit. I've tried holding him in my arms and walking around with him while holding it to his eye, no dice. Are there any other moms out there who have had this problem and if so what did you do to put the compress on your kiddos eye? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated, I would very much like to avoid this turning into something surgical if we're not able to remedy it.
Both of my kids had this. I would just get a warm washcloth throughout the day and using my finger, place it on the tear duct for about a minute, gently moving in circles. They complained at first, but then gave up. I tried to time it when they were watching tv and sitting still.
M.
Ok this is gonna sound nuts but it worked for me. When my daughter was born she had a clogged duct. My cousin who is a nurse knew a doctor who swore by this. When your giving your child a bath put a tiny drop of Johnsons baby shampoo on your finger and massage that duct for a minute. Tell him to close his eye and you can have him partially open it and then wipe it off. Sounds crazy but I had no problems after and I also tried it with my friends child who suffers from clogged tear ducts and styes and she hasn't had one since
Hello, my son had the same thing and what I did was massage the part of the eye where the tear duct is with my hands while he was taking a bath with warm water. You have to apply pressure from the bridge of the nose towards the tear duct (I hope this makes sense!). I could not do it consistently for 5-10 minutes, but I was able to do it on and off through a long bath every day. At the end it did work and it opened up on its own when he was about 10 months. Give it a try and good luck!
Hello, H.!
Anytime I had to do anything unpleasant that my children didn't like, I would start singing to them. You know the saying, "Music calms the savage beast." In the beginning, I couldn't think of what to sing, so I just started singing the ABC's...over and over... until they calmed down. I often associate their behavior with that I'm doing as something harmful, but they take the singing as reassurance that I'm not trying to be mean. I've since added other repertoire, but in a pinch I can always rely on that song (and in a pinch when you're tired of your ABC's, Twinkle, Twinkle is the same tune).
Good luck,
J.
My son had the same thing, when he was about 6 months old I took him to the pediatrician and at the time there was an older pediatrician in my ofice who was getting ready to retire. He said oh your son has a clogged tear duct, let me fix it. He then applied pressure to a spot near his eye and fluid came out. After that he was fine. Ask your doctor about this, maybe it was an old school fix, but at least it is better than having surgery.
Take Care and Good Luck,
F.
My daughter had blocked tear ducts from the beginning. We tried the massage and compresses. For her it didn't work. When she was 15 mos old we had the surgery. For her it was a piece of cake. It was really quick. I loved her doctor. Her doctor is 45 mins away from us, but I don't mind driving for the excellent care we got. I know this really doesn't answer your question, but I just wanted to share my experience with the surgery with you. Good luck!
My daughter was born with a clogged tear duct and by the time she was 12 months old it still had not opened. We tried warm compresses and massaging but both techniques did not work for us. I used to massage her duct while she was taking a bottle and she seemed to tolerate it for at least 5 minutes or so. We had her tear duct probing surgery when she was ~13 months old and it was extremely successful. The procedure was completed at the Reston Hospital Outpatient Surgery Center. They were extremely understanding and allowed me and my husband to stay with her until she had to head off to the OR. I was in the waiting room for no more than 10 minutes when they came out to tell me the procedure was complete. Her duct has been open ever since. The surgery was definitely not an easy thing to prepare for but I am really happy we went through with it because she now no longer rubs or pulls at her eye. Good luck to you!
My daughter had the same problemw hen she was an infant (I thought it was pink eye because of the goop in it). Her pediatrician told us the same thing...warm compress and to "massage" it. It worked luckily within a week or two at the most. Massaging it...meaning...With the little finger (fingernail cut short), stroke the inside of the eye (closest to the nose) to the outside (farthest from the nose). Do this two to six times per day. Try it during a diaper change. In theory, this downward pressure on the duct will increase the pressure on the blockage and force it open. I know it might be hard to hold a year old still but reassure him the best you can by talking to him and soothing him while you are doing it that it doesn't hurt. I hope this might help a bit. Good luck!
My child now 15 months had this problem. We finally had to resort to surgery @ 11 months. My son did not tolerate the warm compress, but he would let me do duct massaging while nursing and when he was sleepy. Hopefully it opens on its own. My son had his procedure done @ Mercy hospital outpatient surgical center. Everyone was very nice and understanding. I stayed with him and even carried him into the OR laid him on the table and while putting him to sleep. I was in the waiting area long enough to take off surgical attire and make a cup of tea. Before I had a chance to take a sip . The doctor was running out to get me. Everything was a success. I hope everything works out with you and your little boy which ever way it has to go. No parent wants to go through that. Best wishes. I may not have answered your question but hopefully sharing my experience w/ you may help.
Ideas:
--Try getting in a warm tub or shower with him. Hold him in your arms and let him splash while you hold the compress over his eye from behind.
--Get an audio book. Play it in the dark at bedtime while you hold him in your lap and hold the compress over his eye. If it is totally dark and he can't see anyway, maybe he won't feel the need to wiggle so much.
--Maybe try covering both eyes instead of just one eye. Having both eyes closed and gently massaged can be kind of relaxing, but one eye seems like it would be weird and annoying.
--Explain to him what you are doing and why. Draw a simple picture. "Something is stuck in your eye and we need to get it unstuck so your eye doesn't get sick." Show him and practice with a teddy bear.
