Blocked Tear Duct - Cincinnati, OH

My 17 month old had this same problem...His actually did clear up on it's own at around 12 months. I put warm washcloths on it several times a day and my ped. recommended massaging it a few times a day...I have no idea what helped but it did....

Hi J.,

Both of my children had this same problem. I also used the ointment from the doctor and it eventually cleared up. My son's cleared up by the time he was 6 months old but my daughter took a little longer. Hang in there.

If your located near Akron Childrens Hospital there is a great doc his name is Dr. Locastro (spelling?) He did our daughters eye surgery and he is wonderful with the children. We see him every year now. He also has a machine that computes the eye script for little kids who cant do the traditional eye exam (ya know the does #1 or #2 look better?). Just in case your child would ever need glasses!
Good luck
S.

My neice will be 1 at the end of April and is having her 2nd surgery today for your same problem. The surgery is outpatient and she didn't even notice. It did not phase her one bit, and her mother (very OVER protective) was happy with the results and is looking forward to today being over. After the surgery my neice's beautiful eyes were even more vibrant!

My doctor said it is a horrible procedure for the babies, so we tried EVERYTHING! What worked for us was rubbing the duct with a good bit of pressure with our fingers (m,ake sure they are clean) after putting in the drops. It took a few weeks, but did the trick.

my son had the same problem about 2 his tear duct finally cought up to him growing i just keep a wet washcloth with me and before we go to daycare or store i wiped it there aint to much more u can do it has to clear it self(hopefully)

My daughter had the same problem and ended up having out patcient surgery on it. Not a big deal they don't even notice hers was bad enough they put tubes in it for a year to keep it open. I recommend Eye Care Ass. in Boardman They have a wonderful pediatric Dr. Good luck

Our youngest girl had that when she was born... it cleared up pretty quickly though. I remember our doctor saying it was fairly common and that it would probably go away by 12 months. He told us to use a warm washcloth every morning and just hold it there for a few minutes and then massage the nose right around that area. (You're probably already doing this, but I thought I'd post anyway in case you hadn't.) Probably MUCH easier to do on a newborn than a 10-month-old!

Good luck!

Don't worry. My daughter had the same thing happen. Her tear duct didn't open up completely until she was almost 12 months old. I remember because I was thinking that I was going to have to bring it up to the doctor again at her 1 year appt, and then out of the blue it fixed itself. So, in this case, trust what the doctor said, and don't worry about surgery until he is at least 12 months old. They won't want to operate on him unless it is really necessary. Hang in there.

Both of my children ages 4 and 3 had to have the surgery. My son had it at about 16 months and my daughter about 30 months. The only difference, is my kids did not have this problem until after they turned 1. I tried everything, massaging, ointment, wash clothes, you name it I tried it. The surgery was very quick and easy. My kids were at home and playing within 3 hrs of the surgery. If you are in the Cleveland area, I suggest Dr. Ellis, he does the surgery at University Hospital. Plus I think he has an office in Westlake or Rocky River. Great Dr, he did both surgerys for me.

My youngest had the same thing and I too did not want to have to go the surgery route. Although they say it is a very simple procedure. I had made the appointment for two weeks after her first birthday and two days before she turned 1 it was gone! Alot of people have told me with their kids it did the same thing, so hang in there and hopefully it will be the same way for you!

My son had the same problem and we waited until he was 10 months old, we went to see the "eye surgeon" and really all they did was take him back in a room, did the procedure, which took all of 5 mins and it has been fine since. I would really look into having it done. I'm not sure of the name of the place, but it was off of Perimeter Loop (right beside Children's Close To Home Urgent Care).

My son had a clogged tear duct and his doctor referred us to an eye surgeon to have it evaluated. The surgeon wanted us to have it "opened" before he turned a year old. We went into the hospital for outpatient surgery and were home within a few hours. It was hard to watch them take my baby away and put him to sleep to do the surgery, but I was with him and holding him within a half an hour. It is a routine surgery and really nothing to fear. I would suggest you ask to be referred to have it checked out. My understanding is that if they don't clear up by a year old they will not clear up on their own. Best of luck.

I have 4 children and 2 of mine had the same problem. Our doctor told us to keep massaging the corner of the eye at the duct and rub down the tube(from corner of the eye at slight angle along the nose) do this a few times a day. It worked within a few days it was cleared up.

Our daughter was just over a year when we went to the pediatric opthalmologist to have her tear duct opened. It's an outpatient surgery at over a year, but can be done in the office under a year. I think I'd probably insist that your doctor refer you to a good one in your area, to see if it's something that will clear up on it's own (ours didn't) and have a chance of doing the in-office procedure versus waiting while he goes under anesthisia, has the surgery, goes through recovery, then comes back to you. It's a very routine procedure, and very safe, but it makes for a long four hours while you wait!

Best wishes and God Bless.

My youngest had this. We ended up seeing an eye dr. He taught us to rub the branch of the nose (on each side) right up by the eyes with your pointer finger and thumb, so that if you have nails like I did before we started your nail would almost go in the eye. Putting some pressure while moving in a circler motion. I hope this is making sense. It cleared it up.. we didn't have to have surgery!!!

Hello.....my son is now 2 1/2 yrs old. He had a blocked tear duct and had the surgery. He had it a month after his 1st birthday. It was a very very very simple procedure and he was out by the time I hit the waiting room and got a drink. So if your little one has to have it done don't worry! now my 9 month old had a problem at first and the peditrician that she saw said to massage it. Wash your hands of course. take your index finger in the corner of the eye and just massage gently. Do this two/three times a day and see what happens. Hers opened up in 2 weeks. Sometimes this works sometimes it doesn't now with our son we weren't told that so I will always wonder if we would have massaged if it would have opened up and avoided the surgery! Please keep me updated on your little one, if it does or doesn't work!
Take Care!

youre bringing back memories of when my daughter was that age. she had a blocked tear duct from birth and several months after. we were told to get a warm wet wash cloth and massage the tear duct. it seemed to really help. she used drops for about a week and they helped but the wash cloth is what i give the credit to.

Our daughter had one eye clogged since birth and were told the same thing-surgery if not cleared by age one. It cleared on its own with daily massage (every time I nursed) and one day during her bath I was pushing on it and I just heard/felt it pop. It has stayed clear since. Make sure you are using sufficient pressure when massaging. It helps to keep finger nails nice and short so you arent afraid to get close to the eye. Hope it clears on its own.