Seeking Much Needed Advice About Eye Care!

He probably has conjunctivitis, which is very common. He needs precription drops from his Dr. Basically sounds like a clogged tear duct. All 4 of my kids got it.

my son's eyes did the same thing. It was his tear ducts, they were closed. He had to have the tear ducts probed. That was a short term fix. He then had tubes put into the ducts, they stayed in for several months. After being removed he has not had anymore trouble like he did. He is now 20 y/o.

This is perfectly safe, and has been used for hundreds of years for eye infections:

Approx. 1/4 cup warm water
Approx. 1/2 tsp honey

Drop into eyes with a dropper.
two drops a couple of times a day.

Blessings,
H.

It is probably a clogged tear duct. My daughter had one until she was almost a year old. Take a warm damp rag and massage the area where the tear duct is. He will eventually grow out of it.

It is very common for infants to have a blocked tear duct, which causes the "eye goo" you have described. Most of the time, you can massage the inner corner of the eye, and it will eventually resolve on its own. Sometimes, the tear duct has to be surgically opened. Two of our children had this issue...one resolved on its own, the other had to be opened surgically when she was a year old. (The procedure was done under general anesthesia, and only took minutes. It was way more traumatic for my husband and I than it was for our daughter.)

Could be an infection but sounds like a blocked tear duct. Place warm compresses to the corner of the eye where it is oozing and it should clear up. If not, bring him to the doctor.

Take him to a pediatric opthamologist. I would say it is allergies but it's yellow. Did you ask the dr.? Most people have a 24/7 nurse hotline that is free with your insurance coverage. My grandson had clear discharge from his eyes but he had fluid in his ears. Please call your dr. right away. It is better to ask and if someone critizes you...don't worry about, let them be the stupid person.

Please let me know what it is.

Good Luck!

I agree with many of the other posters that it is probably a blocked tear duct. I don't think it really bothers the child, but it sure looks yucky. My youngest son had a blocked tear duct and I was always asked if he was sick and got all kinds of looks from child care workers. My son was one of the children who had to have surgery to have his cleared because the massaging that everyone has recommended did not work for him. It was a very minor procedure and he came through it very well. I was glad that I had it done and it cleared up all the discharge right away. He has not had any more problems with his eyes and he is now 7. All that to say, I would check with my pediatrician to make sure it isn't an infection. Then, if it is a clogged tear duct, it is more of a nuisance than anything else and that there are ways to correct it.

Continue to enjoy that precious little boy.

Here, this should help:

http://forums.llli.org/showthread.php?t=2123

Note the message from the mother who said that saline drops from Wal-Mart (or did she say Walgreens?) helped with the plugged ducts. See if your son's doctor will OK this.

L.

Dear J., it sounds as if your little boy may have an infection in his eyes. An occasional discharge which clears within a day or so is probably no cause for alarm, but it seems as if this is much more than that. I think your first stop should be the doctor's surgery or baby clinic to get your baby checked out. If it turns out to be an allergy, your doctor should be able to advise on how best to deal with it. I had three children and all of them at some stage had eye infections which cleared up very quickly with appropriate treatment. I hope you are able to get some help with this very quickly.
Kind regards,
S.

My son had these symptoms and it was blocked tear duct. My pediatrician gave me instructions on massaging it, putting warm compress on it, and I believe also gave us some drops to put in. My son's clear up but it took awhile, sometimes they have to do surgery if it doesn't clear up on its own. Please go see your pediatrician, because if it is a bacterial or viral infection that goes untreated, it can affect your child's vision for the rest of their life.

Hello J.. My daughter when she was about that age maybe a month or two old had the same problem. I would try and try to wipe it out and not hurt her. Finally I took her to her doctor and they said the same things wipe with a warm cloth, massage the eye duct. Nothing helped. Finally they told me to put her on Zyrtec. It cleared it up in two days. I had to give her 1/2 teaspoon everyday. When winter came I quit giving it to her. Now everyonce in awhile she gets a cold and her eyes matte up so I give it to her till it clears. Ask your doctor first before giving it to your child. But it is worth a try. I know how it is too keep having to hear your child cry when you wipe it out and when they cant open their pretty eyes because of it. I would ask yoru doctor about it. Good luck.

S. T.
Proud to be part of CEO MOMS
www.always4myfamily.com

my daughter did the same thing i brought her to the doc and he gave eye drops and we had to massage the tear ducts and it took a while for it to stop but it worked, also wipe with warm wet wash cloth gently

I assume you took this child to your pediatrician or to a optomalogist. If not please do so soonest.

I am not trying to scare anyone but I think you want to make sure that this will not turn out to be a serious matter.

God Bless

Sounds like a clogged tear duct. Ask your pediatrician for Tobraymacin drops. Several of my kids have had this as newborns. It's no big deal. You can also massage it.

Definitely take him to the pedi to be sure, but it sounds to me like it may be a clogged tear duct. I have a friend whose daughter had this, and if I remember correctly - they usually grow out of it, or your baby can have a simple procedure to open up the tear ducts. good luck.

Maybe his tear ducts are blocked? My daughter had that problem. I had to gently squeeze the duct at the corner of her eye. Eventually she outgrew it, but the pediatrician was already thinking of correcting the problem surgically.

this happened with my youngest son and it turned out he was allergic to our dogs we put all animals outside and in two days it was completely cleared up and havent had a problem since. good luck! hope your solution can be this simple!

My little boy had that when he was born and it lasted for about a year. It was a clogged tear duct. The doctor gave it a year to work its self out and then said it would need a small surgery if it didn't get better. It cleared up all on it's own and he is fine. Just ask your pediatrician. Good luck!

Your son probably has blocked tear ducts. Odds are it will go away on it's own in time and babies often outgrow it sooner if you massage the tear duct a few times a day. If the problem doesn't go away on it's own it can be fixed surgically, but that is rarely necessary. For now, I would wash the area often with a warm damp cloth and massage the inside corner of his nose - right by the eye two or three times a day. You should see improvement - but do talk to the doctor about it during your next well baby visit. Here is a link with a little bit of information - but you can search "blocked tear duct in infants" and probably come up with much more helpful information.

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/pediatricophthalmology/a/0...

Blessings,
P.

He really needs to be seen by a pediatrician to be properly diagnosed and possibly be on antibiotic eye drops to clear up any infection. As with a runny nose, if it's yellow, that is infection. You don't want to risk it damaging his developing eyes. In the meantime, I would remove any pets from the house, if any. Laundry everything in his room from the floor to the curtains and get everything as dust free in his surroundings as possible. My husband has an allergy to cats and it appears in his eyes as itchy and watering. Do the heavy cleaning in the house (that will actually make everyone breathe easier) and call for him a dr. appt. Hope he is well soon!

My daughter's eyes did that off and on for about 18 months. Her pediatrician said it was allergies and gave us some drops to put in. Take your son to his pediatrician and voice your concerns. It most likely is nothing serious.
J.

My son is also 4 mos and he had that too when he was about 2 wks and it lasted till he was about 2 mos. I thought it was normal but it was only on one eye and it was so bad that he could barely open his eye in the morning. I had to constantly wipe it with a warm wet cloth. I called the nurse and she thought it was a blocked tear duct (since the color was a yellowish and not green). She suggested wetting a cotton ball (or two or three) with very warm water and squeezing the exess out and pressing it against the skin between the corner of his eye and his nose (not too warm as not to hurt him) and massage it for about 30 seconds or as long as they will tolerate it. She suggested doing it about 5 times a day until it stopped. It worked, well, I probably quit too soon and it came back a little and I had to do it again but it went away for good within a week. This remedy is great as there is no harm in trying and no meds. Good luck!

J.,
More thank likely your son has a blocked tear duct. My daughter had the same thing when she was 3-4 months old. My Pediatrician told me to clean the eye(s) 3 times a day with a warm to very warm wash cloth. The heat from the wash cloth will help open the tear duct. Try that for a while and if the eye has not cleared up then call your Pediatrician. I hope that this helps.

M. C.

HI J., w/ my youngest daughter I had the same issue and like you I thought maybe it was an Eye infection. Ecspesially since her eyes would be the most goopy when she woke up. I would have to wipe them w/ a warm wet cloth just so she could open her eyes sometimes. I took her to the Dr. and come to find out her tear ducts were clogged. The reason the stuff in her eyes was so gross was her eyes weren't lubricating properly and the tears were gooping up in her tear duct and then kind of oozing out while she slept. I was told to rub them a few times a day every day like durring diaper changes and it worked. To rub them, first make sure your hands are clean get you finger in the inside corner of his eye real good (practically touching his eyeball) and rub upward lift your finger and rub up again do it as many times as he'll tolerate. When you rub don't rub to lightly or real hard but do make sure to apply a good bit of pressure. One question when he crys does he always have tears? If he does always have tears streaming then the cahnces of it being an infection are greater. Good Luck! Keep us updated!

It is common for babies to have clogged or small tear ducts. Your doctor can show you how to massage them to get out the extra gunk. They often resolve on their own. If not, there is a proceedure that an ENT can do to open them.

My son had the same thing...blocked tear ducts on both sides in our case. I don't think it actually hurt him. I would just have to take a warm washcloth every morning and wipe away the yellow goo so he could open his eyes. It went away sometime in his first 6 months and he's been fine since. Good luck!

My son is now ten years old and had this problem when he was young. We found out he had blocked tear ducts. He constantly had sties and his eyes were always matted. We went to an eye doctor and he had tubes put in and he's been fine since. It does look quite odd when the tubes are in, but they don't hurt.

J., My daughter has had this problem with her son,every morning his eyes would be matted shut,her Doctor told her it was allergies and prescribed medication it worked,but now allergy season is back and so is the eye problems but now she knows what to do,my advice to you is take him to your Doctor and let him do the diagnosing.Good Luck,I hope he gets better soon. D. S.

Maybe the doctor can prescribe an eye drop or rinse for your little one.His eye ducts may not be fully developed. Don't worry, pray. GOD Bless you and your little one ,J..

Hi J.,

My son had that until he was about 5 months old. The pediatrician said it was a blocked tear duct and prescribed some antibiotic ointment. A warm wet washcloth clears up the matting and the antibiotic helps to prevent the matting. It usually goes away on its own after the tear ducts start producing normally, which as I recall, is around 4 or 5 months. Good luck!

Both my boys had this for a week or two as babies. When I asked my pediatrician about it, they said it was most likely a clogged tear duct and to massage it gently with my pinky finger, and then wipe the gunk away with a warn wet cloth from the inside corner of the eye outward. If it did go away, they said to bring him back in and they would call in an ointment to help. But the best advice is...if you feel uncomfortable, take him to the doctor, and if they feel its allergies, they can run allergy tests, or if it is something else, they can refer you to a good Ophthalmologist.

Hi J..

Congratulations on your new baby boy! My oldest son had the same problem for the first 3 or 4 months of life. The doctor told us it was a clogged tear duct. I think this is pretty common infant problem. The pediatrician told me to massage the area between the bridge of his nose and the corner of his eye with my finger a few times a day and that would help open it up. It did get better eventually.

Just to be on the safe side I would maybe take him in and make sure that he doesn't have some sort of infection. Or, if you still have the Eurythamician opthalmalic (?spelling?) eye ointment that they give you in the hospital, you could use that on the eyes as well. I hope the problem gets better soon. Enjoy your new baby!

hi J.,
yes, it could be allergies or it could be a condition called a nasolacrimal duct occlusion. its not a big deal and is very common in infants. it is basically a blockage of the tear ducts which keeps the tears that are being produced from draining properly. the blockage usually opens by 10-12months of age on its own. you should definitly take your son to an eye doctor to confirm whats going on and they can usually give you some eye drops to help control the "yellow stuff" that comes with the blockage - or if its allergies, the dr can help you with that as well. my son has the same problem and im an optometrist so trust me when i say dont worry, but defintly take him in for an eye exam. hope this helps and good luck!

first- I would say that you may want to call your pediatrician and have it looked at- I am in no way saying that I know what it is for sure- but it sounds a lot like what happened to my little girl- who is now 5 1/2 months old. One of her eyes would matt up with gooey yellowish stuff- I thought for sure it was conjunctivitis- but her actual eye was not red. Anyway I was freaked out enough to take her to the doctor. What she had was a clogged tear duct, it's a pretty common thing from what I understand. The eye cannot drain all the moisture so it hangs out and builds up and ends up looking like that. What I was told to do was try to keep the eye clean, use gentle warm compresses using those soft little baby washcloths and to massage the side of her nose near her tear duct very gently with one finger. Try not to wipe the eye too often though as the skin around the eye will become sore. I would fold up a tissue and try to wick away some of the gooey "tears" and they would start to build up in the eye. I hope that was helpful- Again- my advice would be to go to the doctor- even if it's to confirm it's a clogged tear duct and then at least you'll know what it looks like next time it happens (it happended svereal times to my daughter)and have the piece of mind knowing it isn't something more serious.

J., when my youngest son was that age, his eye done the same thing. So, at 6 months checkup, i told my pediatriciian about the eye problem. His tear duct was closed up and not draining like normal. My son had a out patient minor surgery to open his tear duct and it fixed the problem. Oh and it was the same time of year, not allergies.
Good luck
de

It sounds like a blocked tear duct.

My eldest son had this when he was that age. We used to wipe his eyes with a cotton ball dipped in cooled boiled water or if you wear contact lenses you can use saline solution. It doesn't really hurt them, but is just a nuisiance to keep wiping eyes - babies don't really like you doing that to them.

My doctor just told me to keep and eye on it and said that he would probably grow out of it, which he did. Occassionally some children do have to have their tear duct drained if it hasn't cleared on it own by the time they reach 11 - 12 months.

Hope this helps - don't worry - it is quite common and is not hurting him. Just really annoying.

S.

Hi J.! We had this issue with our son as well. It sounds like his tear ducts are not open. They sometimes open on their own by 6 months or so - that happened with our second son. But with our first, he had to have a procedure that a pediatric opthomologist did in the office. Not to scare you, but it didn't work on one of his eyes the first time, so he had to have surgery. I would talk to your pediatrician but at this point, I would think it's just a matter of time to see if they open. I used to keep cotton balls in a plastic baggy with me at all times! And using the cotton balls with warm water helps a great deal to get the eyes open in the morning. It's not fun but hopefully it will clear up on its own - if not, the procedure was not bad either! Good luck!

I was thinking "allergies", but there are so many people with firsthand knowledge saying that it sounds like a blocked tear duct that that's likely it. However, I'd definitely take your DS to the dr. and have him/her look at it just to make sure - just in case it is something other than a blocked tear duct, I'd rather have a definitive diagnosis and know exactly what to do about it.

Good luck! :)

Hey J.,

I went through this with my son for 12 months, and our Dr. said that it would probably go away on its own with massage. Well, it didn't, so we took him to see two specialists. One used general anesthesia and one didn't, so we took him to the one that would do it in office without anesthesia.
The results were amazing! From the minute the procedure was finished his eye was perfect! I don't know where you live, but if it's anywhere near Tulsa, I would recommend Dr. Groves. Good luck!