Clogged Tear Ducts - Plano,TX

Abuelita A.,
I was a preschool teacher at a local daycare and I had a little one year old in my class with the same problem. When I first got her, it broke my heart to see her like that and at first I would clean her eye constantly. I did not know I was irritating it more. Her mother advised me to clean her eye in a downward motion with her eye closed. I am happy to tell you that this munequita went through a simple procedure (operation) and the last time I saw her before she moved out of the area her eye looked wonderful, like nothing happened. They went in without cutting anything. Your nietecito will be just fine, just give him up to the Lord and He will lead if surgery is the answer or He's got another plan. Si deseas oracion, I'd be more than happy to believe with you for the healing of your chiquilin. By the way, this is the first time I've read Mamasource. My sister sent me a tree, and I replied. Today I read this, and the clogged tear duct cought my attention, because of my beautiful baby I use to take care off that stole my heart when she moved away.

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I completely understand. My 1st daughter's eyes did the same thing the day we got home from the hospital and I went up to the ER that night. Her Dr. kept telling us to wait and keep up the normal routine (wiping, ointment & Warm Compress) that they normally grow out of it. Well we listen to them until she was 2 and then took her to an eye dr. They said we should have came in when she was under because they could have done something in office. Since we waited they had to schedule "surgery" which was putting a "floss" like string in the top & bottom holes and tying it inside her nose while she was "under". We were at the hospital for about a day. They kept this in her eyes for about 1 month. Then we went into the Dr's office, they cut the strings and pulled them out. She has not had any problems since then. Here is a very good link I wish I would have seen 5 years ago!
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/general/eyes/tear_duct_o...

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My best friend's little girl was born with this too--and she had a procedure done on them to have them opened. It was harder on the mom than the baby. SHe has had no problems since then--it was about 6 years ago. Hope this helps!

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My youngest had clogged tear ducts and they did eventually clear up. I just massaged and used warm water, as your doctor suggested. They can use a probe to clear it out, but that seemed painful to have something stuck down his eye. I was able to massage and get a lot of "goo" out. Just make sure to have your fingernails short! I hope he feels better soon.

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Hi - Yes this happened with my baby at first. I used a warm soft baby washrag on her lids. Wiping from the inner corner out. And when I could I would massage the tear duct area. She's 2 months now and this doesn't happen anymore. It's probably more annoying for us than it is for them. Be patient and it will pass. (smile)
Good luck!

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My daughter was born with the same problem in one of her eyes. When she was 6 months old we were reffered to an eye dr. who inserted a needle in the corner of her eye to correct the problem. It only took less than a minute to do and was harder on me than her. Since then though she has had no problems. Hope this helps!

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My little guy had the same issue, did the rubbing, the warm cotton balls, it cleared up on its own by the time he was 6 months old, started to diminish around 3 months, but gone by 6 months... wasn't "pretty" but it did go away.

Good Luck!!
C.

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My daughter who is fixing to be 7 had the same thing the oitment helped and now it's just alergies.. She just has one eye that waters when it's cold out. Hope this helps.

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My daughter had this also. I don't remember exactly when it cleared up, but I think it was at around 6 months old. It got better slowly. Our Dr. recommended that we but vaseline on her eyelid where it got red and that seemed to help. She said that it was gentle and it was okay if it got in her eye a little. We would put it on the skin around her eye because it would get irritated and sometimes even bleed. Our doctor didn't give us any drops except one time when it was obviously infected (we had to wipe it every few minutes it was so bad). She said that you just have to wait it out.

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Hello abuela, i understand where you are coming from and to be honest with you my daughter went thru the same thing, however hers was not as bad as your grandbaby. My pediatrician referred me to a specialist and it helped her since. What they do to cure it is painful for us, but the babies dont feel a thing, and as per my pediatrician she said its best for it to get cured now before they get any older. so good luck and hope all gets well...

sincerely,

Another abuela & new mom
Marivel

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My oldest child had the same problem. I got into the routine of gently massaging her eyes during every feeding. It took a couple months but it did clear on its own. I think I even used a warm wash cloth several times a day while massaging it (she is 5 years old now so my memory maybe failing me)! :-) I hope it clears soon! Best wishes and congrats on your new pride and joy!

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Go to www.webmd.com. That website has very good information on almost any subject. You can type in your grandbaby's symptoms and look for suggestion as to what you can do or they will give a referral.

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My youngest child had the same problem when he was a baby. I ended up taking him to a pediatric opthamologist where they performed a quick in-office procedure. Basically the doctor irrigates the tear sac to confirm the obstruction. Then, they pass a probe downt he canal and through the membrane to open it. A second irrigation confirms that the passage is now open. They gave my son an anesthetic eye drop to "numb" they eye. Although he assured me that my child was not in pain only mild discomfort, he did cry heavily. When I went in to the office, I had no idea this was what would happen so it did catch me by surprise. And, it happened so quickly. Of course, they had to hold him down and if I recall, they wrapped him to keep him from flayling his arms about. But, I will tell you that after that procedure we never had another problem with the blocked duct...and he is now 5 years old. They will probably give you some drops to put into his eyes for several days to avoid an infection. And, there was just the slightest bit of blood in his tears...but, only for a short while. Frankly, in the end I don't think it affected my son as much as it did me. To see them hold him down and then put the probe in his eye just about did me in. But, the results were all worth it. Good luck and if you need the name of a good opthamologist, I recommed Everett A. Moody in Irving. He also has a Southlake and Arlington office.

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A.,
Don't worry is my best advice. My daughter, now 14, had the same problem. I wiped her eyes every morning, they were crusty and red and swollen. She hated it. I worried. And sure enough at 4 months wala, it went away and was gone for good. Yes, that is a long time but I was relieved that it did indeed take care of itself. My daughter also napped MUCH better once it was open. The other options are for the doctor to go in an open them and they will do that at around 6 months, I think, if it doesn't take care of itself. I am very happy with the waiting method I used over anything invasive. -Nita

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My ten week old is still dealing with a clogged duct. I was doing everything you and your kiddos are trying and not seeing any results. In fact, my son got a mild infection in his eye despite all the techiques and the ointment the doctor recommended. Go back to the doctor and request eye drops instead of the ointment. It makes a HUGE difference. So much easier to apply. I put the drops in while giving my son his bottle. I saw a difference within 4 days. It still requires massage, but the stickiness and crustiness are gone. Good luck!

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My son who is now 4 mo., had this same problem from week 2 to week 6 after birth. It really is one of those problems that looks much worse than it is. Out pedi recommended the same things and eventually they just grow out of it. You are doing everything that was suggested to us as well and one day you will look up and it will be gone. Unfortunately all you can good is keep up the warm compresses and apply the ointment only for the prescribed amount of time. Good luck.

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It's normal for babies. I wouldn't use cotton balls. The filaments could irritate his eyes.

Just take a warm washrag over your finger. Put your finger under the clogged duct & gently push your finger in a circular motion...like you're trying to push the infection out. That should clear it up.

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I'm not sure if this will help your grandson's situation but it was very helpful for my son. My son Tristan had a clogged tear duct when he was born and the doc gave him some eye drops that were not helping at all. I went to a natural store here in fort worth called the sunflower shoppe and got some probiotics and it cleared up permanently within 3 or 4 days...it was really quick...i think they are called jericho probiotics..something like that. Hope it helps

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My daughter is going on 4 months and she as well has clogged tear ducts. I have a 14yr old and an 8 year old ans necer had this happen before All we did was message the area Idid it only about 3 times aday and it finally went away around 5-6 weeks. But we never had meds for it. I hope it gets better I know for us all we had todo was message the area and I would do a warm wash cloth

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My son, now 7 1/2 months had the same thing. It was awful to look at. He would wake up and his eyes were sealed shut! You all are doing the right thing though! I too kept asking my Dr and he kept me waiting until 6 months on age. He finally referred me to a pediatric opthamologist and the wk of our appt, it cleared!!! Since then, it has clogged again b/c he got a cold and the drainage from his cold caused it to clog again. But, after his cold had cleared, so did his tear duct. Hang in there!

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My oldest son, now 12 years old, suffered with clogged tear ducts resulting in infection, crustiness and unsightliness. He had a minor surgery to insert tubes into his tear ducts when he was about 9 months old. The results were immediate once the tubes were removed at about 1 week post surgery. He has never had problems since and has the most beautiful big, brown eyes and long lashes. Although it's never easy for your child to endure surgery, this one was very minor;the result, phenomenal. My only regret was waiting so long to have the surgery.

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Remember to gently massage the ducts with the (clean) tip of your little finger in a circular motion and then reverse the direction. Most importantly, massage many times a day. Usually this doesn't clear up because the caretaker isn't diligent enough -- they only do it a couple of times a day or when they think about it. Keep trying and I'll bet you'll be successful. I was.

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One of my girls had clogged tear ducts. If it doesn't fix itself in a certain amount of time (the pediatrician can tell the time length because I can't remember), then it is a simple in-office prodedure to open them. I took her in, they popped them and she was fine after that. We were in and out of there in no time (at least for a doctor's office!) and I haven't thought about it for all these years. So, if your grandson's eyes are getting sore, I would give the baby's doctor a call and see when they can help him out. C. G

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My daughter had this from birth, but outgrew it before her first birthday. The pediatric opthamologist we saw suggested massaging the sides of her nose (where tear ducts are located) during each bottle feeding and/or nursing. You can find information on this online at www.babycenter.com, etc. She also often had crusted closed eyes that we had to clean with wet washclothes, usually in the morning upon wakening. The doctor recommended surgical repair to open the ducts if we didn't see improvement by 12 months of age (he stated surgery is most successful for full repair prior to then, but it's common for babies to heal on their own within the first year). She's fine now, even stopped getting eye discharge with colds that she used to get because of the blocked tear ducts. A good pediatric opthamologist should be consulted if there's high concern, and then see if it improves in his first year. Good Luck!

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Two of my babies had this problem. I did the massaging and warm cloths with mine. I never did this but the doctor can put a line in the ducts to try to open them up but it is miserable for the child. My babies' cleared up on their own. I can't remember how old but I know they were under 1 year old. Hope this is helpful.

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Don't worry. It is very common and it sounds like his momma is good at taking care of him. It does take some time for it to get better.

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Two of my children had the same problem. The doctor had me massage and do the ointment as well. When that did not solve the problem they did a procedure to open the tear duct. The procedure was done in the office and they haven't had any problems since. The procedure was more painful for me to watch than it was for them. My pediatrician sent me to a specialist Dr. Moody he was great he did both of my children and is one of the best eye doctors in the area from what I have seen and been told.

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My son had this when he was a baby and I thought it would never go away. His lids also got red and irritated and I started just putting a warm wash cloth over his eye and not rubbing it so much. He did eventually grow out of it, but I never thought he would. I would just cut back a bit on the cleaning (obviously not to where he can't see) because as my doctor put it - it just has to work itself out.

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My son (kid #6) had the exact same condition. The first five did not. We kept his eyes wiped off and massaged. we were not prescribed an ointment. His eyes were crusty, especially after sleeping. His eyes are clear now. First his right eye and then about a week-and-a-half later the left eye cleared up.

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My neice had the same thing. Hers did not go away and she had to have it "opened" at 3 mo's. It only took about 30seconds in the dr's office and she is 7 years old now w/no symptoms. My son had a clogged tear duct and we used a warm cloth to gently message; start at the corner of the eye and gently rub toward the outside. Just repeat this again and again, esp at night before bedtime and naps. It is taxing but my son's cleared up in about 3 dys. Praise God he is healthy and a clogged tear duct can be dealt with painfree:) God Speed!

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My three children had the same problem. I didn't use an ointment...being an herbalist I used Lavender water. I made a tea of lavender blossoms and cooled it to slightly warm. Then I gently cleaned their eyes with it until the crustiness was cleaned away. In addition, I massaged their tear ducts in the corner of their eyes very gently in a downward motion. The condition cleared up in about a week or two. It is a normal condition, but I can't see how an ointment would be useful. The lavender tea is very gentle, healthy for the eyes, and will not irritate them.

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My grandson is almost 7 months old. We had this problem a few months ago. The pediatrician told us to rub very gently but firmly on the each side of the bridge of his nose (between his eyes). He said with babies it is because their sinuses block and causes the tear ducts to block. He also said to use saline drops in his eyes and nose (they have saline for the eyes and saline for the nose specifically.

I hope this helps. It definitely helped my grandson.

J. R.

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Three of my six children had this. Unfortunately the massaging and what not did not help....and I had bad advice form a doctor who told me that they grow out of it. Here comes the story of my daughter who at the age of two had to have the surgery with a general instead of a simply probing she could have done when she was an infant.

My other two had the probing, worked great for her. The other one had to have the surgery with a general when she was 18 months.

This is definately not something to wait on. It is much easier to get this taken care of when they are small infants.

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A.,

This is pretty common - both of my daughters had the same thing. The best thing to do is to constantly massage the tear duct. The best time to do this is while he is nursing/being fed......I breastfed, so it was easy for me to massage her tear ducts while she was pre-occupied with eating. It DOES go away - I promise and the eyes might look irritated, but that too will pass. I found that cotton soaked in saline works even better to clear off the dried stuff on the eyes. Sometimes if it was too much (when she would wake up from a nap) I would get a baby washcloth and soak it in warm water and apply it to the eye, but the washcloth can irritate, so I wouldnt use it to do anything other than gently wipe away what has already been dislodged with the cotton and saline.

I hope this helps you.
Dont worry - things will get better - my daughters have beautiful eyes!

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Hi A.!
I have had two babies with clogged tear ducts!! We did the same thing with massage and warm compresses. It looked horrible and it seemed like every other morning I was calling the Dr. to say, "are you sure she will be alright it looks soo bad!!" It finally cleared up and all is well! Soo...I wouldn't worry too much it is more common than I thought:)

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I had a son with this and Dr. Sears recommends this: If he is breastfed, put a little breast milk in his eyes and massage. It works as well as the prescription drops. Just a thought.
=) A.

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OH my gosh I so remember this with my little one.The pediatrician said most outgrow but after nine months of misery and swollen red eyes, he said to have the surgery and have tubes put in. It was a total cure and although putting your baby under anesthesia is scary, it was a very routine and common procedure. You are doing all the right things now and if you don't get the tubes, you'll just have to deal with the good days and the bad until he grows out of it. My pediatrician just felt like it was not worth the discomfort to our baby to wait it out since the procedure is so basic. J.

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My little boy had this at his age, but it wasn't quite that bad. What our doctor told us to do was take a Q-tip and lightly press on the area NEXT to the tear duct, kind of like pushing the clog out. DO NOT press on the tear duct, just beside it. This worked really well, along with the warm rag. We were supposed to take him back in if it looked like it was getting infected, which sounds like may be happening to your grandson. It so hard to see their little eyes all goopy!

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My daughter now 9. Had the same problem. Only one eye. We did the warm rag rub. But i gave in worried about the pain of the tear duct procedure to have it unclogged. It was actually very fast. We went into the doctor. It is like a shot in the tear duct very small needle. I held her while they did this. Over in like few seconds. It clears the duct out. She has never had a problem again. No red gupy eyes. I was very glad i did this.
She was like 3 months- 4months old. She was a happy baby after that no more rubbing her eyes & she could see!!
Ask your doctor about this. Her doctor was off of preston rd. In dallas not far from royal ln. I wish i could remember the name. They were very nice. And we never had to go back.
Good luck on this i know it isn fun for the little one. And you feel helpless,it did work for us.
B.

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Hi A. - don't use cotton balls. They're bleached. Use natural unbleached gauze and try diluted lukewarm chamomile tea (made with filtered or distilled water) and dap the eye lids with it rather than wiping it. Use a fresh gauze for each eye. You can reuse them after washing them in hot soapy water. One of my kids had the same thing when a few weeks old. Let me know, if it helped. E.

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I have had two children and two grandchildren with this and the majority of the time it will clear up on its own but sometimes not until they are 9 months or so. If they will put the ointment on at night before bed and use a warm wash cloth to loosed the crusties he should be fine. Just follow the Drs orders.
From one concerned grandma to another.

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MY son had the same thing.I used a warm wash rag and massaged his tear ducts and sometimes i folded the wash rag and just set it over his eyes so the warmth could open up his tear ducts.He finally got over it.

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I have a 1 year old that was born with a clogged tear duct. At first, I was was worried because they told me that they could probe it at 1 year if it still clogged up. Which means that they could poke a metal pick in it to make it bigger. That scared me. Continue the massage and wiping eyes gently. Believe me, this will get better. Ocassionally, the eyes will get red from wiping. I would just put her in the bathtub and let her splashing the water in her face soften the gunk and it would wipe away easily. At 1 year old, her eye is not a problem now at all.

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I have been there with all three of my boys! My second son (3) had it the worst. But with the other two boys, the problem cleared up by 6 months old. They told us to massage the tear duct area (between the eye and bridge of nose). I am not sure if that is what helped it or not but rest assured that the vast majority of babies out grow this on their own by the first year. It definitely is not the prettiest thing to look at, but it does go away! I can remember my oldest son looking in on my middle son one morning and telling me that "Cole was playing pirate" because one eye was stuck shut thanks to the clogged tear duct!

If you have any more questions or concerns please feel free to contact me. Like I said, my middle son had it pretty severe and it didn't clear up on his own so he had to have surgery at age 2....but all is well now! So I have totally been there and can completely relate to your worries! And again rest assured because the doctor who performed my son's surgery at age 2 said that over 90% of babies with clogged tear ducts clear themselves up by one year of age!!

Good luck!

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A good friend of mine had the same issue with her baby boy - she gently dabbed breast milk on them and it helped them clear up.

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My four year old had the same problem as an infant. It is so sad to see their eyes constantly matted and hurting. My pediatrician said the tear ducts should open by age one and if not, we would have a specialist open them with a probe. At age one, we went to the specialist and after he described the painful procedure, I chose to wait a little longer. Around 15 months, they finally opened. My cousin actually had his son's duct opened with the probe. He said it was painful, but quick. Neither child has any long term problems, but I can always tell when my son has a cold coming because his eyes get really matted. Good luck!

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My oldest daughter had this when she was born and they had to unclog her teat duct. I think it hurt me more than it hurt her. I was not suppose to go in the room with them but I told them if they were going to do this the only way they would do it is if I was in the room. She has had no problems since then and she is now a beautiful 7 yr old.

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