My 5 mo old's tear ducts haven't "opened" yet. It's absolute torture for him, I'm always cleaning his eyes, people think I'm overdoing it, but if I don't then his eyes will glue shut and he's even more miserable! Pediatrician wants to wait till at least a year to do the simple procedure to correct this, in case it clears on it's own. But I'm thinking, wouldn't it be less torture to do it now than to make him suffer for 6 or more months? Has anyone been through this, or can recomend Dr.? ... I tried the meds, but they hardly worked, and he's had this consistantly since he was a newborn. I promise my baby's adorable, esp. after I've cleaned his little blue eyes!
I massaged like crazy and used medicated drops, but nothing was working! I steamed his eyes open in the morning and used the vaseline on the eyes to help. (They helped, but it wasn't curing the problem). So I went to a different Doctor and he referred me to a pediatric opthamologist. He gave me a massage technique to use and prescribed stronger drops to use for 2 weeks. It worked the first week and then quit working after that. So, 2 weeks later, we had the "probing procedure" done. They strapped him down and put numbing drops in his eyes. They took a huge needle and punctured his tear ducts and pushed the blockage through. I can't believe how much green gunk was in there! He screamed and I cried... but he was mostly just upset that he was being messed with. It took maybe 5 minutes and afterwards I held him for a minute and he stopped crying. His eyes were bloody for about an hour, and the next 2 days he had bloody mucous draining a little through his nose. But now, the 2nd morning after the procedure... he is all clear and happy! (We have to continue the drops for the next 3 days, but that's nothing compared to what is was!) Oh, and insurance covered it. I highly recommend this. The Dr. explained to me that if his eyes hadn't cleared up on their own by now (he's 7 months now), then they probably wouldn't for a long while. He said I could wait to have the procedure done, but it is much more intense for an older and stronger child (because they can fight and have more fear and they remember it better). Thank you for all the advice!
Dr, Beauchamp is a pediatric Md who took care of my son. He is WONDERFUl! He is in Grapevine. I don't have the number for you but I recommend him very highly.
My name is C. and I have a two year old baby girl named Madisyn. Her tear duct did not open until she was about 6 months old. I understand how you feel. It was really hard to deal with, it's so sad. I would just give it time. I use Dr. Randall Davidson in Arlington, TX. He is great. Good luck with everything!
Ours had the same issue. Some days it was bad - others not so much, but still such a pain. It finally unclogged almost 6 months to the day after he was born. 4 months later, the constant wiping and massaging the eye is a distant memory. hang in there!
my first daughter had that problem now she is 5. her ped at the time told me to massage the tear duct and use nursery water at the same time. It took a couple weeks but never had the problem after that good luck
Hi Lisa
Hopefully this will help! Have you tried a Pediatric Opthalmologist? Dr. Eric Packwood,MD is an excellent eye doctor who has several convenient office locations in Hurst, Arlington, and Downtown Fort Worth. He has been my little girls eye doctor for the last 4 years and we are very happy with his concern for our child. Very caring, thorough, profesional you couldn't ask more from a Dr.!!
Hi Lisa.
I have a 3 1/2 month old boy and he had a clogged duct too. His ped prescribed special eye drops that I put in his eyes 4x/day. The problem cleared up within a few days of giving him the drops. Also, I was advised to take a warm washcloth and gently massage the inside corner of his eye several times a day. You should ask for a prescription from his ped. It makes no sense to wait if it can be cleared up right away!
M.
my daughter had the same problem.Please massage the the bridge of her nose in a circular motion it takes a few months before the ducts open up but this massage helps.good luck
my first son had this problem. He was a lttle older but the docotrs told me to put a little little vasaline on his eyes when he is sleeping. just enough but not enough to tell that there is any. this wont stop it but it will keep the gunk from scrashing his eyes and make a little easier to clean off.
Hope he gets better. I know it is no fun for him or you.
Hope this makes both your lives a lttle easier.
J. Thomas
I'M NOT A DOCTOR OR ANYTHING BUT IS IT POSSIBLE THAT IT IS AN EYE INFECTION AND NOT A CLOGGED TEAR DUCT? OUR SON'S EYES KEPT GETTING GOOPY AND SEALING SHUT AROUND ONE MONTH. THEY KEPT TELLING US THE SAME THING, THAT IT WAS A CLOGGED TEAR DUCT. FINALLY, WHEN IT DID NOT CLEAR, THEY GAVE HIM SOME EYE DROPS FOR AN EYE INFECTION AND IT CLEARED UP WITHIN A WEEK.
Dear Lisa, I am a foster mom who had a foster baby with a blocked duct. I recommend taking your son to a Pediatric Ophthalmologist. There are not a lot of them around but we used Dr. Eric Packwood who has offices in both Hurst & Ft. Worth. He is wonderful and a good man. He treated her blocked duct with drops which we put in each day and it worked. We did discuss doing the minor surgical procedure if it did not work. I highly recommend having him evaluate the situation so your baby does not have to have this problem any longer. His number is ###-###-####. Your Pediatrician may have to do a referral but just tell them you have continued concerns and were recommended to go to Dr. Packwood. Good Luck
If you're nursing, express a little breastmilk and massage it into his tear duct. Breastmilk has amazing healing properties - it will clear up scratches in no time, is great as a nasal rinse, and can unblock tear ducts.
Hi Lisa- sorry to hear about your sweet boy's eye! Our son, who is now 10mos.old, had the same exact problem. He had a clogged tear duct until he was 6mos. old. We did have some eye drops though but I would daily have to massage his eye from the tear duct down 2-3 times a day. It felt like it would never go away but it did finally stop. Just wanted to let you know that you are not alone but, know that if you feel it is something more than a tear duct to trust your instincts and talk to the doctor.
What kind of surgery is it? Is it one that requires tubes being in place of the tear ducts? My husband had that type of surgery when he was 11 years old because he was born without tear ducts. He strongly urges you to wait to see if they do indeed open because he has struggled so much with the results of his surgery. Also, a natural way of things progressing in the end is so much safer and healthier than an unnatural way (i.e. surgery).
Lisa,
My youngest daugter had something similar and I just massaged the area for her tear duct several times a day with my fingertip and used warm, moist cloths to help with the drainage and crusting. It eventually resolved without medical intervention. I can't recommend a doctor in this area because I just recently moved here, but maybe what I did can help you too. Good luck!
J. W.
I did not have this paticular problem with my daughter but we had others. I found that you must stick to what your instinct tells you. You are the one with him day to day. Get a second opinion!!!!! I am not sure where you live but I have a great doctor by the name of Dr. Karen Yeh she is at the Baylor clinic in Midlothian. The whole staff there is fabulous. That is why when I moved from Waxahachie to Arlington I kept going there instead of switching. There number if your intereseted is ###-###-####. Good luck!!
I ran an inhome daycare and would see things like this alot. Just wanted you to know that doctors will diagnose it as a clogged tear duct but it could be possibly Pink Eye. And Yes there are forms of Pink Eye that cause those symptoms. My son has had it several times and so has alot of kids I had watched. There eyes would get all crusty and shut but they weren't PINK so we didn't even think it was pink eye.
N. B.
Mom Advice Central-http://www.mymommycentral.com
I have a daughter that is now 3 yrs. old. she also had a clogged tear duct in her left eye. When she was a baby we had the procedure done to open it up. The procedure was not fun at all to have to put your child through, but I am so glad we did because it totally worked and we have had no further problems. I'd have to look up the name of the doctor if you wanted it, because I'm not sure right off the top of my head. Good luck.
Actually, I have a 3 month old and one of his eyes has a clogged tear duct and it constantly looks like I have not cleaned his face.
But my sister's little boy had the same thing and the doctor told her the exact same thing. She said after a year she finally made an appt with Cooks and a minor surgery to correct the problem. Her doctor was still wanting to wait. She said it did seem like a painful procedure and his nose bleed for a few days. So I am not sure which way would be better, but that what I know about it.
He is 3 now and has no tear duct problems but on his nose there is still a little blue vain that was very swollen and a bruised after the surgery.
