my little one was recently diagnosed with a clogged tear duct. a very common problem with infants & i am told by her pediatrician that in most cases they clear up on their own by the age of one. our pediatrician referred us to a specialist just to make sure it was nothing more than a clogged tear duct. the specialist prescribed an ointment that i must use to massage the duct 4 times a day and wants to see us back in december to see if the duct has opened & if it has not then he recommends surgery to do so. i was womndering if anyone out there has gone through this as well? i am really hoping the massaging helps. thanks!!
Hi J.
All 3 of my kids have had clogged tear ducts as infants. My oldest was the worst and longest, but it cleared itself by about 9 months with warm compress and massaging the duct a couple of times a day. My youngest is 6 weeks old and his duct has already opened though it was clogged for about the first 4 weeks. Good luck to you!
My daughter had this when she was a week old. Our peditrician just gave us eye drops and in about a week it was cleared up.
Didn't have any problems after that
My children did not have this problem but I did as an infant. I am not sure if the surgery was a last resort back then or if it is even the same today. I did have to have the surgery though.
My son had the same thing in both eyes when he was brand new. It lasted about 2 months, and I did the same thing with the ethromycin and massage. Use a warm cotton ball and get right into the corner of the eye that's blocked. Aiden's cleared up on it's own, but even if you need to have the surgery, all they will do is use something to dilate the duct and open it up. I understand that you don't want to do that, and I hope you don't have to! I am sure it will clear up on it's own as long as you do the massge and ointment. Good luck! :)
J.,
I went thru this with my son and he had 2 months of prescriptions and I just kept on massaging his duct and it opened on its own. No worries it will be fine. My best friend is going thru the same with her 3 month old. Just keep massaging and using the ointment.
Christina
My 2nd daughter had this really bad. I think it took just about a year to clear up. When i look at her pictures it is so sad, the eye was always red and swollen. I don't remember having medicine back then though...just warm washcloths...maybe the medicine helps it to clear faster. Best of luck.
My oldest had this when he was an infant. Our ped also gave us the ointment and recommended warm compresses and massage. He also mentioned surgery if it didn't open, but he said that it didn't happen very often. It took a couple of weeks, but it cleared up. When you massage, he said to do it in a downward motion, as if you're massaging along the side of his nose. Good luck, I'm sure he'll be fine.
Yes. I think most moms have gone through this. You are right. Warm compress on the eye, and work from the tear duct out towards the ear.
My son had the problem in his left tear duct. His was diagnosed at his 2 week check up. I tried the ointment and warm compresses. I would also massage in a circular motion when he nursed. I did this for a whole year until proceeding with the surgery. It was uneventful ( looking back!) and took roughly 7 minutes from induction to recovery. The specialist said my son's tear duct would not have "unclogged" on its own. My advise would be to continue the massage and meds, ask the specialist about applying a warm compress and be hopeful. Wait until Dec and decide accordingly. Best of luck to U!
