clogged tear duct

Nadine - posted on 04/06/2009

my son had that when he was a couple months old.. the doc said use a warm wash rag an to massage the duct area....

Amber - posted on 04/06/2009

My son had the same problem. His pediatrition had us take a warm wash cloth, massege a little just under the tear duct in a clockwise motion then drag the wash cloth down the line of the nose and cheek. repaet a couple times. It took a couple weeks, but he has very little problems now. His pediatrion also said that babies tdo get that but they can't really do anyting until after they are a year old if it persists.

Elizabeth - posted on 04/06/2009

My son had that too. I took him to the Dr and she said unless he can't open his eye, leave it alone. It'll clear up in about a week. My "picking it" was making it worse. If it does get to the point where he can't open it a warm wet wash cloth will do the trick.

Katie - posted on 04/06/2009

My son had the same problem.  His doctor gave us an antibiotic ointment to put on it whenever the problem came back.  I think it stopped happening when he was about 5 or 6 months, and no problems since.  She said it is very common.  Using a warm compress and keeping it clean by wiping gently with a wet washcloth helps. 

Nancy - posted on 04/06/2009

My daughter had the same issue. http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/HealthAZ/B... .I found this link to be very useful. After 2 weeks of massaging it finally unblocked.

Michelle - posted on 04/06/2009

I had that same problem. Theres not a hole lot you can do, use a warm wash cloth and make sure you wipe the eye from the inner corner out. After a bit it will clear up.

Bridget - posted on 04/06/2009

my daughter has the same problem on her left eye. she had her one month dr appt today so i made sure to ask what to do... the dr said to rub starting from the bottom of the eye (at about the middle) and rub upwards towards the corner of the eye, applying a little pressure. do this several times a day. this should help unplug the duct. when the eye gets watery and 'crusty' just wipe with a warm cloth. he said doing this should correct it, but if you notice that the eye isn't getting any better, or gets swollen make sure to take baby to the dr and they can figure out a new course of action. by the way... my dr said that this is a fairly common condition, and that surgical intervention is very rarely required.

Heather - posted on 04/06/2009

thanks everyone....i just hope it doesn't really last a year! poor babies

Jamie - posted on 04/06/2009

My little ones had this as well.  All of these are good suggestions, also try a gentle massage with clean hands, after a warm washcloth.  Good luck to ya both.

Fiona - posted on 04/06/2009

My little boy had blocked tear ducts in both eyes. One eye cleared up after a few weeks of bathing it in saline solution. The other persisted until he was 7 weeks old and while it started out fairly soft, even with constant bathing it seemed to only get worse, not better. Eventually I'd had enough and went to my GP who gave me a prescription for some ointment to put on his eye (sorry, I can't remember what it was called) and after 4 days, it cleared up. Try the bathing and the massage but if it doesn't work, visit your GP.

Heidi - posted on 04/06/2009

We had that.  They said alot of babise get it and grow out of it.  We also got ointment erythromycin from the PCP and it cleared up

Jaime - posted on 04/06/2009

My oldest daughter had blocked lacrimal ducts as well. We were referred to an opthlamologist out of Kingston. She has had a total of 4 surgeries and then I stopped them from replacing her ducts with artificial ducts. The little tubes/elastics they inserted went in her tearduct and tied off in her nasal pasage. Twice the tubes fell out and I had to tape the end onto her face. Yep gross!! She is almost 8yrs old now, we still have a problem when it is allergy season, a windy day or when she gets a cold but other than that she is fine. I agree see an opthamologist.

Laura - posted on 04/06/2009

My son had blocked lacrimal ducts and ended up needed to get surgery in order to clear the blockage. The tube looks almost like the plastics that stores put price tags on clothing with. I would ask your pediatrician for a referral for an opthlamologist.

Elizabeth - posted on 04/06/2009

My son had the same thing. When it crusts it usually means there is infection. Docs usually give an antibiotic ointment for it. If it doesn't open up on its own, they will do a simple procedure around one year of age. In the meantime, warm washcloths to help loosen up the crusties... Always make sure you wash your hands throughly before and after touching his/her eye otherwise you just continue to spread infection.

Lisa - posted on 04/06/2009

my son had this for almost a year. its hard but make sure not to touch it with your hands( i always did I just couldn't stand to look at the green gunk) and if you do make sure your hands are clean, better to use a warm wash cloth and use a clean side each time you wipe it away. also massage it by pushing up and in towards the nose. Just know that crying makes it worse at least for my son. it should clear up on its own my doctor told me to wait till after 1 years old and if it wasn't fixed then they would fix it with a poke but like I said it went away by the time he was 1.

Aimee - posted on 04/06/2009

My oldest daughter had these like every month for a few years. She is now 8. But my
child's doctor would give us eye drops and tell us to put a warm wash cloth over her
eye. It always went away in a few days. But every child is different. Hope this helps!

Rebecca - posted on 04/06/2009

My son, who is almost five months old had the same problem. We took him to the pediatrician first, and were prescribd eye drops. The eye drops did not solve the problem. We then had to take him to the eye doctor. They dialated his eyes, put in some drops and did an exam. In some babies it will just correct itself, which was the case with my son. But sometimes it doesn't correct itself and surgery is necessary. I would recommend seeing your pediatrician first and then seeing if you need to see an eye doctor.

Tina - posted on 04/06/2009

try a warm wash cloth and then massage the duct area.