Blocked Tear Ducts - Want to Hear Other's Experinces with Opthomoligists

If you can be patient, I would just wait it out. Continue with massage and warm compresses. It should clear up. My daughter who is now 4 had the same problem and it eventually cleared up on it's own. Get a second opinon if you are really questioning it.

Go ahead with the probe. I had to do it for my son when he was yonger. They had him out of the room for a very short time (5 min maybe) and he came back just as happy as he went in. I didn't even hear him cry, and it made a world of difference! Good luck!

I understand how frustrating goopy eyes can be. My second son had blocked tear ducts, both eyes. They only would goop shut after sleeping through the night, but they would have discharge all times of the day. We tried breast milk in the eye, as well as prescription antibiotics, but neither of those seemed to make a difference. My ped. never suggested a probe, he advocated waiting it out and at about 8 months, my son's eyes cleared up. If I were you, I would wait it out a little longer. It is quite a common problem to have and it usually clears up within the first year.

My daughter was born with a blocked tear duct.(she is now 48). It was fixed in a few minutes. Near as I can remember, they used a thin wire, or probe.No pain, and never came back, I would think it would be worth the procedure. They certainly would have improved by now. I did have to lightly massage it for a few days.
I am a 72 year old Mother of 4, Gramma of 9 and 1 Greatgrandson.
Good Luck.
J. H

My son is now 8 months and we went through exactly the same thing from birth thru 6 months. We did eye drops and milked it constantly. Our pediatrician explained to us that it can take up to 6 months before the tear duct is developed before it works properly. I would not rush into the surgery until after 6 months. You may be surprised like we were that it healed on its own. If you wait, I know that warm compresses and the milking at least 5 or more times a day seemed to help.

Hi. I'm the mommy of 4 little boys and all 4 of mine have had the plugged tear duct as well. I was referred to an opthamologist with my 3rd son, when he was 6 months old and they told me about the procedure but also said that they really didn't want to do too much with him being so young. He said they normally wait to between 8 -10 months and if its still not gone by then that they'd do the procedure then. His cleared up on its own(no antibiotics, and just me wiping it when it got goopy) before he turned 7 months old. With my experiance the antibiotics do pretty much nothing and with my older 3 boys they all cleared up on their own. My youngest son is 4.5 months now(born October 8) and he still has it. HTH! I too was very leery about them shoving a probe into my child's eye!

my daughter had a blocked tear duct -- my ped said wait it will probably clear up.. we wiated and it did clear up.

she had a weepy eye for about 6 months and then it started getting better by 1 year it was totally fine.

I am glad we waited for it to get better on its own..

Dr. Omalley on the east side is supposed to be great if you need an eye dr.

S.,

I've had my tear duct cleared and it's really easy-no pain at all! Your baby will feel so much better after. It only takes a minute or two and it's worth not having to keep giving your baby antibiotics which is not good for her. The papoose will feel like swadling to her and keep her from wiggling.

I say do it ASAP!

The advise I have is go to GREI grand Rapids Eye Institute, I had Lasix surgery there and had no problems. he plugged my tearducts and put me on restatsis and now the tearducts are un plugged and everything is great! I know other Dr.'s have had many problems.

I really trust Dr. Bearie.

Better safe than sorry.

My DD also has a blocked tear duct. We did have it probed at 6mos. I wasn't in the room, and it took less then 1 minute for them to probe it. It helped but she was still pretty clogged (they said her duct was completely closed). She was scheduled to undergo surgery to put in a small tube when she was just over a year old....the week before her surgery, the eye just cleared up! It was amazing as for an entire year she NEVER woke up w/o her eye completely crusted shut!

She'll still get a goopey eye if she's really sick. But overall we've been goop free since we scheduled the surgery.

Hi S.. Two of my three boys had blocked tear ducts. The first lasted until he was about 7-8 months old. I massaged it several times a day - every time I nursed, when he was that little, and with a bottle, later. In both kids, it opened on its own. I would see if there's any downside to waiting to have the medical procedure. If there's not, and you can take the time to massage the duct yourself, I'd give it a try for a few more months. The only drawback for us was the eye goop, and that was cosmetic, really. We never needed antibiotics, so I'm not sure if maybe your child has something different going on.

Hi S.- I am 34 with a 2(boy) and 4yo (girl) and was in your shoes 2 years ago. My son had a blocked tear duct, but the eye doctor we went to (U of M) did not do it to the child awake. My son had that same procedure but was put out at the hospital. The "putting out" is stressfull also, but I thought it was better than him being awake. It took 5min and worked great. My best friend's daughter had that done at 6mo. recently and she was awake and had to have the procedure repeated because it did not work the first time. I thought that was so h*** o* her daughter and the parents. If the hopital route sounds at all appealing I would ask the doctor about that.

My son had a blocked tear duct and when he was eleven months old we took him to an opthamologist and he checked everything out and we scheduled the surgery to have the tear duct unblocked, the surgery was basically they took something like a tube and put it through to open it up and let it drain, but about a week before the surgery was scheduled to take place it opened up on its own. His pediatrician told us to wait until he was one to do anything about it, just keep it clean and take care of his eye, warm wash cloth's to wash out the gunk and she gave us eye drops and eye ointment but it was getting to close to him being one and still having it. Just be patient and keep it clean, I don't think antibiotics really even work. We were never given antibiotics for our kid. Its not a bacterial infection, its just blocked. So don't use antibiotics. But ask your childs pediatrician for the eye ointment because it did help my sons eyes from gooping up all day. Just in the morning. Good Luck

Hi S.! We had our daughter's tear ducts cleared by a recommended opthemologist. The first procedure didn't take so we had to do it twice!! Be prepared to feeling completely helpless when you hear your baby scream and cry because as you stated, you can not be in the room with them. All in all, I believe the experience was harder on us then it was on her. She doesn't remember a thing and ducts have remained unblocked. Bring Kleenex but go!!

Well, we lived through TWO of those probings and it was HORRIBLE! If I had to do it all over again, I would wait it out until my son was 1 and then have him put under and probed it then. We did the two in the office and then eventually had the one done at the hospital. Also, his one eye got so infected after his first probe that it is still a problem. My advice: pray for the next 6-8 months that God heal his ducts, keep massaging (making sure your hands are STERILE before you go near them), and wait. Feel free to email me back with questions...good luck, I definitly feel your pain.

My daughter had the same issue in both eyes, but we decided to wait it out regarding the opthamologist. Our doctor did not prescribe any antibiotics however. I just tried to massage it whenever I fed her. I think hers cleared up around 4 months. It happened kinda suddenly, first one eye then the other. Hope this helps, even though we didn't visit the opthamologist.

Hi,

I have had this problem with my first born. I was told the same thing you were. I did not want to have to take him to the specialist so I did my best to put a warm wash clothe on it then massaged it a few times a day and sure enough after days of not forgetting to miss a session it finally went away on its own. My son had this with both his eyes and they successfully cleared up with the warm wash clothe, massaging, and then I believe I applied the antibiotic. Good Luck.. Don't give up!!!

My son had a tear duct problem for a long time. We messaged it everyday at the same times. He cleared up on his own. I would be leary of putting the baby in a papoose board myself. Can't they just give him some medication? I would get a different referral to a different doctor. It all sounds horrible.

Hi S.,
My son had the same thing. I waited it out. It is really a pain but it went away on its own....he was about 10-11 months old. I think if you can just be patient you may spare your little one a surgical procedure. Either way it will be ok. But she is so little you may have a little time. One of the moms was right the dr may not even do it right away.
Good luck and I hope that it goes away on its own.
=) It is really frustrating for pictures!!

Our youngest had this problem, ongoing for months, despite antibiotics. We never did go to an opthomologist...

We used eyebright, on the recommendation of our midwife: it's a plant that is dried and sold in healthfood and herb stores, made into a strong tea (steep it for 10 minutes) and the cool it. Store the remainder in the fridge for about a week. It's cheap and it really worked.

We just dipped a cotton pad in it and swiped it over her eye from the outer edge to the nose, two or three times a day. It cleared up in under a week. And never came back.

I know that my own son, who is 12 now, out grew the blockage. But we did have to deal with drops and warm compresses to open the eyes. I don't regret waiting, in fact, the symptoms stopped 3 days before the doctor was going to make the referral.

But, one of my co-workers had her son deal with this 2 times. She said that the opthamologist told her the massaging did not work. She went to Detroit Children's Hospital because "they" wouldn't touch it in Saginaw until after a year old. Anyway, it took all of 2 minutes and he was not even crying when they "got him back". She said her and her husband started praying and he was back before they were finished. It only stayed open for a month and had to be redone when he had PE tubes placed in his ears. He doesn't get infections anymore; however, the eye will tear more often than the other instead of tearing internally. It was definitely worth it. When she looks at pictures of him as an infant she feels guilty because his eye was always swollen. She wishes she had done it earlier when she thinks back.
We hope this is helpful.

Good Morning S.,

My son had a blocked tear duct when he was a baby also. They insisted a small wire in his duct and he has never had a problem since. He is now 21 years old and never had any side effects. It was more painful for me to hear him cry than it was for him. The whole procedure took about 5 minutes. I would check with your doctor and see if that is still an option. I hope this help.

C.

have you washed her eyes with baby shampoo on a warm wash cloth? I have had problems with my eyes and that is what a eye dr told me to do also you might want to ask at your health food store what they have to help that----that is what i do with my kids not a good thing having her on antibodics all the time. let me know how its going--- D.

My daughter also had a blocked tear duct when she was born. She was never on antibiotics, but the doctor told us to put firm pressure in the inside corner of her eye every time we changed he diaper. It took about a month or two and finally went away. I've not heard good things about the probe and would be scared to do it. It should eventually clear up.

My second child had clogged tear ducts. I had never heard of this problem before! The doctor told us to use warm compresses and gentle massage. We used to be able to press on the area between his eye and his nose and actually expell a mucus like drainage. They told us that the problem should correct itself by the time he was 6 months old. By 6 months this problem had gotten worse. It was actually beginning to drain into his sinus' causing infection after infection! He was MISERABLE. He had the surgery when he was 7 months old. The surgery was a piece of cake (all 10 minutes of it)!!!! When he woke up you couldn't even tell that the procedure had been done. There was no swelling or bruising -- Nothing at all!!! If you live near the Saginaw area I could pass on the name and number of the doctor. He was GREAT!!!!! Good luck and let me know how things go!

Both my sons had this - one worse than the other. I used to massage it everyday with a clean index finger all around the parts of that eye, used medication once. I rode it out til 6 months & it cleared up like magic one day. My doctor said he would recommend seeing the specialist if it did not clear by 8 to 9 months.

S.,
I think that the hardest thing is knowing that our child is going to scream. My baby didn't have a blocked tear duct, but he's had to be papoosed several times to have a catheter placed for kidney testing. I think they scream more from being confined than any type of pain. If your doc is recommending it, then go for it. It'll take 5 minutes and then be over.

When I was younger, between 1 and 2, I had to have a tube put in my eye for a blocked tear duct. I don't know much about it except my eye workds perfectly now. I had a tube running from my new tear duct into and up my nostral, in a big circle that my mom had to move around. I know it was hard for her, but like I said my tear duct is fine now. She also massaged the spot, which I have done to my kids before when they had eye colds, but mine was so bad, I needed the tube. I know I probably didn't help, but I was in your son's situation. It is scary to have a kid put through that. I hoped I helped in just a small way.

Hi S.,
My son, now 2, had a blocked tear duct when he was about 2 months old. I was actually at the ophthalmologist for myself. It was a first appt, so the Dr. and I were getting to know each other. My son started fussing so the Dr rolled his stool over and started rocking the stroller and talking to him to calm him down (he's a father of 2 little girls). I was blown away. Anyway, when my son stopped fussing the Dr. noticed his tear duct. He asked how long he'd had it and if it had been oozy or anything. He told me that if it didn't go away in a couple of weeks, to bring him straight in. He said to not even go to the Pediatrician. Blocked tear ducts, esp in infants, can lead to much more serious problems and the pediatrician doesn't have the tools necessary to take care of it. It did end up going away on it's own. However, for you, since you've gone through 4 rounds of antibiotics and it's still yucky, you need to take him in right away to the Ophthalmologist. I see Dr. Greg Bibart at Kalamazoo Ophthalmology, PC. 3412 West Centre Ave., Portage, MI 49024 ###-###-####. He is wonderful! I hope that this helps.

My son had a similar issue and we waited to go until he was a little over 1 year - his eye was never really, really bad. Always drippy/weepy, but never bad enough to do anything other than massage it and do the warm wash cloth routine. That is until he managed to get pink eye twice. He was not severe enough to get the clearing, instead they placed him on steroid drops for a month with extra massage and he has been much better since. The one eye is still more moist and occasionally weepy when compared with his other eye.

All that being said, I wish they would have just cleared the darn thing. He is now 2.5 years old and in day care full time for the first time and had three cases of pink eye just due to the opportunity of his eye being wet. Not fun.

You can always get a consult from the doc and make your own decision. You don't have to do anything the day of the appointment!

Good luck

Our oldest daughter, who is now 10, had a blocked tear duct. We decided to have the procedure done(she was under 1 year), after months of eye drops and doing the massage thing. They would not let us in the room either. I will be honest, it was very hard to wait in the other room, especially when you can hear them crying. We felt bad and were also both crying. But in the end, everything went great and it fixed the problem. Bottom line is... it may be hard to go through, but once it is done, life for both of you will be much better.

Hi S.,

I had the same problem with my son when he was about 4-5 weeks old. If you are nursing - breast feeding, Dr Sears http://www.parenting.com/article/Pregnancy/Health/Ask-Dr.... suggested expressing a couple of drops of breast milk into the babies eye about 6x a day - so about every 4 hours. Breast milk is a very effective natural antibiotic and you should notice that his eye will clear up within a day or 2 - however, keep on dropping the breast milk in his eye for about 1 solid week. This takes discipline on your part and you have to be very consistent with it, but it will work!! Oh and the massaging probably helped as well.....Good luck = )

My son had one until 11 months. Our ped advised us to wait until 1 yr and I am glad we did. We did hot compresses, but I wouldn't go overboard with it. Once or twice a day, depending on the goop. My guys eye just teared, no goop though.

My daughter had the same problem and we actually had to take her to Children's HOspital where they put her to sleep and did the procedure. We then had to have it done a 2nd time because it did not work the first time (she's 10 now, so the details are not as clear). Then my 2nd daugher was born w/the same problem and they had wanted to do it again w/her and I put it off (she was born in April) and I would take her outside and I personally believe that that helped her tear duct. From being outside her eyes would water so much that I think it pushed all the blocked stuff out. This may not be so but it avoided the procedure. Good Luck!!

I have a 20 mo. old and a 5 mo.old that both have that problem. With my 20 mo. old daughter I was advised to keep using the antibiotic until she was at least 1, and then if the problem was still persistent she could see the pediatric opthamologist. I had to go 45 mins to see one, just to hear that he didn't want to do anything because the problem would eventually take care of itself. I was not happy, but she hasn't had weepy eyes in 6 mos. My 5 mo. son has the same problem. I will follow the same course of action and hope it works. I sympathize with you. I have many pictures of my daughter with weepy eyes, or glistening eyes from the antibiotic cream! I will also tell you that as nice as the doc was, and good with kids, she cried the entire time and that was just to check the eyes.

Hello, my son also had a blocked tear duct... we never had to use antibiotics, but we did massage it very frequently and it went away on its own. When we did massage it we used a warm wet washcloth. We kept the area clean and we also kept his hands clean. Maybe you should try to gently massage it more frequently, like at every feeding while she is feeding...
Good luck!

S. - When my son was an infant he too had a blocked tear duct and we had the procedure done to have it unblocked. I know it can be scary but it worked wonderfully and it only took about 15 minutes. My advice to you is to take her to an opthamologist and have the procedure done - especially since you have been dealing with it for quite some time. Good luck

Hi S....
My odlest daughter who is now 19, had blocked tear ducts for about a year. We did the drops also, the yellowish discharge only got worse. We did have the procedure done with the tube to clear the duct. She had to have the procedure done twice. 1st time it did not clear completely. However she had the procedur done down at children hospital,they did however remove the tube at the doctors office.( this was not a fun experience for both her nor us) 2nd time around it worked. Hope this helps...:)

I work in opthomology, after speaking with a tech who has worked directly in this situation (pediatrics), i may have some sound advise. First of all, the procedure is well worth it. You are not allowed in the room because as a parent, your first response would be to "protect". You need to let them do their job. It is usually recommended to wait until the child is older (between 9-12 mths) because they will usually grow of it. As the face grows, the sinus' grow, which usually takes care of the problem. Use warm compresses and continue the massaging. Antibiotics usually do not help because it is not an infection. If the time comes, and the procedure needs to be done, your child will be more scared than anything but there are virtually no problems afterward. Best wishes..

My husband has this same problem and we go to the eye doctor for the same procedure. It is not painful but would be uncomfortable for the little one and for you. That is why they don't want you in the room. But it really does not hurt and my husband can go from 6 months to a year without having to have it done again. My advice, don't put it off, just go.

Hi-I feel your pain! Our little one had a blocked tear duct until after 1yr-when they finally would do surgery to unblock it. I didn't receive the option before that because they said that 90% of the cases clear on their own before the age one. It was horrible having to continuously massage and wipe her eye-it was always matted and raw. Not to mention other parents thought she had pink eye! I was so happy to finally get her some relief from the itchiness of it too. After the surgery the dr said it was a deep block. I was very happy I let them do it. No more antibiotics, no more massaging and no more making her mad because it was even harder to clean when she got older. I would of definitely done it earlier. It was more traumatizing for me than for her and the recovery was a breeze! If you have anymore questions feel free to ask!

My son had it until he was 10 months old. My pediatrician recommended just letting it run it's course naturally (no antibiotics, even). Yes, it's a pain because it's goopy and unsightly. But, it seems to bother parents more than the infant. My feeling is let nature do its trick. If it hasn't cleared up by the age of 1, then consider an ophthamologist.

Hi S.,

My friend had a child with the same problem. She took her to an eye doctor and had her tear duct cleared out, and she said it worked great and was easy and painless for her daughter. The eye doctor she went to, actually had the procedure performed on himself, so that he knew for sure he wasn't hurting the children! She doesn't remember the name of the doctor, but he was recommended by Dr. Merrelli. You could call Merrelli's office and ask the name of the opthamologist he recommends. The number is ###-###-####.

Good luck!
L.

Hi S.,
My nephew had this problem and he did end up having that procedure done and it seemed to work quite well. The procedure didn't take long at all, and he was playing by the afternoon. He is a year old :)
Good luck!

S., Our oldest daughter had the same problem years ago, starting at 3 months of age. It went on for almost 3 years because our pediatrician felt it was an eye problem and the eye specialist felt it was a allergy. We were very frustrated and felt something needed to be done beside eye drops and antibotics that were ineffective. Our docter referred us to Ann Arbor and an eye plastic surgeon (Dr.Christine Nelson)inserted tiny tubing into the upper tear duct and out the lower tear duct(you could not see them). These were left in for three months then removed. She has never had any problems since. Her tear ducts had never opened since birth and the tubes held them open until they healed that way. Isn't it heart breaking to see how raw the skin around the eye gets and amazing how much of a fight a little one can put up when your trying to clean the area,put drops in,etc? Good luck.

My daughter has had a blocked tear duct since birth. We asked if there were any medicines we could give her and she said no the only option was to have it poked. Could you give me the names of the antibiotics so I can tell her doctor about it. Anyway to answer your question. Massaging it works wonders. We decided to wait it out our doctor suggested waiting until she was a year. We did that and it got better but not cleared up all the way. She is now 21 months old she still occassionally gets crusty watery eyes but we are now thinking that it is allergy related because it only happens around pets and cold weather. I was afraid of the procedure and waiting it out was best for me. I would have had it done if it didn't get better by the time she was a year. I agree with being sick of goopy eyes and everyone always asking if she had been crying when she hadn't been.

My daughter, now 11, had a blocked tear duct in infancy. We massaged, applied warm compresses, did the antibiotic ointment for a time.....each had a little effect, but none completely cleared the problem. We consulted an ophthalmologist who suggested that, while he could perform the procedure you described, the problem would likely resolve itself around her first birthday. Well, not long after her birthday, she was sitting on the couch, on top of me when I looked over at her and her eye appeared to be rapidly filling with discharge. I just watched, and did not do anything to stop it. It took about two minutes, but everything (and I mean everything) that had been stored in her tearduct was released, and she's never had a problem again. I think it was worth the wait, but only you can decide how significant your daughter's situation is, and whether or not waiting is a possibility for you.

S.,

My first son (now just shy of 3 yrs old) had a blocked tear duct the same as your daughter. We did the office visit to try and open the duct. My son cried for just a few minutes and I believe it was not because of serious pain but more that he didn't know what was going on. For us however, that didn't work and we had to have the actual surgery done that inserts a tube in the tear duct for a few months (then an office visit to remove it). That was some drama for me because they put the child out for that - and let me tell you it is hard to watch your son/daughter come out of anestesia. They have no idea what happened and why. But with that said - it is so worth it to have it corrected. Since he has had this done, he has had zero problems with his eyes. I highly recommend going through the steps to correct the problem!

My daughter had the exact same thing that we had to put up with until she was 1, they said they would not do the surgery until she was 12 months. It's the best thing we ever did for her! It cleared up instantly and never had a problem again (she's now over 2). They put her out for the procedure and she did not have any problems at all. It was done at Flint and I don't recall right off the top of my head her Doc's name. I want to say the office was called the Michigan Eye Institute or something like that. She did very well, I would question it if they are not going to put her out and they are going to stick something in her tear duct. if you want the name of the actual doc that we went to, please email me back and I will look it up for you. Good luck!
M.

i have no experience with the opthamologist, but my 2.5 month old had a blocked duct when she was born also. i thought it was pink eye, but the pediatrician told me it was for sure a blocked duct and not to panic. he told me that it could last as long as a year...something i was not thrilled to hear. he told me he would not talk to me about probing it until we hit the one year mark. he also told me to massage it several times a day. i did the massaging mostly when she was sleeping or eating...relaxed. i also used a clean warm washcloth at bathtime. it did clear up on its own eventually. i know it is not great news to hear they can last one year...but personally i would wait it out (without the antibiotics---strange that he would give you something antibacterial when it's just a blocked duct?). i can't imagine the probe is very pleasant for your little one. i know it's frustrating because it also takes away from your little one's beautiful face...but if you can wait it out a bit more, maybe it'll take care of itself sooner rather than later. that's just my opinion and i thought if you heard about how laid back my doctor seemed about it, it would just be one more piece of info to help you??? good luck with your decision.

Hi S.,
My son had this too. My Dr. said the same thing. So here's the thing. They can do the prodedure "in office" up until they are 8 months old. If you wait past that, then they have to do the procedure in the hospital (because they are too big to papoose and keep still) and they put them under for a few minutes.
My friend is an opthamologist and he said that 95% of babies with a blocked duct clear up on there own by age one. The procedure is quick at either age but VERY uncomfortable if they are not put under. He told me if it was his kid he would wait it out and see if it cleared up on its own by age one. Then if it didn't he would do it at the hospital where his child could be comfortable for the procedure. He also mentioned that sometimes when it's done in the office and the baby is screaming it often isn't totally corrected because they are trying to do it fast for the childs sake. In the hospital where they can take their time they unplug the duct and then run a little saline solution through the duct to make sure it is actually open after the procedure.
It was a hard decision for us as the 8 month mark was approching- because doing the procedure at the hospital seems scary . We lucked out because just like 95% of kids, a few days before his 8th month bday his eye cleared on its own and has been clear ever since. We had deicided to wait and I think we made the right decision for us.
I hope some of this information helps you make your decision. Just remember that the in office procedure is very painfulf for the baby (imagine threading a 3 inch plastic tube down your eye duct into your nasal cavity), I had a friend that did do this and she said that her baby was crying after when they brought her out to her but that her baby calmed down on the car ride home and fell asleep (and had a bloody nose too). But she said it wasn't that bad and her baby seemed fine the next day. Good luck!

I had twin girls that had blocked tear ducts in both eyes. Back in the day (LOL) think it was in 1986-87 they both had surgery to correct that problem. I am glad I had that procedure done, even though it hurt me terribly at the time to see my little ones wheeled away in cribs to have this done. An oh the waiting for their return to the recovery room... I know there is probably new procedures for this now but talk with your doctor and just get a referral and see what options they may offer you.

S.:

On of my twins was born with a blocked tear duct. He was nine months old when we had the procedure done. Yes, you are correct about not being allowed in the room. The procedure was pretty quick and the immediate look of the eye was very bloody; however a few short days later and we did not have any more stuck eye and he seemed much more comfortable. I would do it sooner rather than later.

Good luck to you.

K.