Hi there - my 4.5 month old has had clogged tear ducts since birth. Upon the advice of the pedi, we're waiting until 6 months to take her to the opthamologist. In the meantime, baby girl is tearing so much in one eye that the crease under her bottom eye lid becomes red and slightly raw. I gently dab her eyes as much as possible, use warm compresses, etc. Is there anything I can do to prevent this raw, red skin from appearing under her eye? I was thinking vaseline or some other protectanct? I'm just not sure b/c the skin in/around the eye is so thin and sensitive. Any ideas or thoughts are GREATLY appreciated.
I've heard that gently massaging the tear duct can help (see the Sear's Baby Book), and if you are breastfeeding, breast milk can keep the eye from becoming infected and treat it if it does.
If you are nursing try pour/expressing some breast milk into and around the eye. I know it sounds wierd but breastmilk has all those natural antibiotic properties that make it so good for baby. I have used it for gooey eyes, ear infections and that dang ole baby acne and had amazing the results on all!
Try warm compresses on the eyes where the tear duct is. Hold it there as long as possible. Usually that helps it unclog. I know there are also natural remedies for it too, just look online. Good luck!
Ask your pediatrician to prescribe her a saline gel. I used this when my tear duct was shredded. It is a thick gel that looks like Vaseline, but it is sterile and it goes in the eye, but does not burn in any way. After a few minutes it coats the eye and the surrounding area so it does not interfere with vision.
Good luck!
I had one that required surgery. I asked my mom, she said she would rub a little breast milk under my eye and it worked wonders. I don't know if the surgery is the same, I do not remember it, but I am told I was strapped down to a table and had a small tube inserted into the duct while awake. My mom almost had a nervous breakdown watching it. Good Luck
Has the doctor suggested that you put your fingers on the tear ducts and gently push up and in? My oldest daughter had clogged tear ducts and that is what the pediatrician told me to do 30+ years ago. It worked for her.
Allison,
Why wait to take her to the ophthalmologist? Pediatricians are perfect for caring for the whole child. It's their specialty. But when it comes to specific matters, where there is a dedicated doctor, you should go to the specialist.
Neither you nor your baby should be suffering this problem when there is someone who can offer help and advice.
Our Brycie had a problem from the time he was born, and the pedi sent us promptly to the ophthalmologist.
If your healthcare plan mandates a referral first, plead your case to the pedi, and explain how much better you would feel if you could get it checked. If your pedi is a kind and caring person, s/he will give you the referral.
Best wishes!
My sons tear ducts clogged up when he had a cold. My doctor suggested messaging the tear duct with your pink finger. Also taking a warm wet cotton ball from inside of the eye to the outside. Only do this once and get a new cotton ball to go again. After about 24 hours my son was cleared up.
Good luck.
My son has a blocked tear duct which he was born with. We have to firmly apply pressure in a massaging/rocking motion to the inside corner of his eye and all this "goo" comes out. Once I do that it stays clean for awhile until i have to do it again. The blocked tear duct usually is supposed to open up by the age of 1 but it hasn't and is going to require surgery. We are just waiting for better insurance. You should also ask your doctor about prescribing an antibiotic ointment such as erythromycin. This helps it to not be so green and become more clear in color. Hope this helps.
What I did for my son at 2 months of age.....go to your local health food store and buy "Eyebright" tea. Make the tea. After it cools a bit, soak a cotton ball in it and gently rub the cotton ball on your babies eyelid/eye area. If she'll let you, keep the cotton ball on her eye area for several minutes. I did it while feeding my son, and it was easy because he was preoccupied with drinking! Doing this a couple times a day for a little less than a week solved our SEVERE problem. It came back a couple of months later, but not as bad, and we did the Eyebright again. Not a problem since then, and my son is now 2 1/2 yrs old. My pediatrician told me to do this, and it worked like a charm!
Allison,
My son had surgery about 2 weeks ago to have his tear duct unblocked. (he's had issues since week 1) BEST THING WE DID!!! No more goopy eye, no more constant cleaning of eye, no more eye irritation, no more eye onintment and antibiotics - and all this IMMEDIATELY after surgery!!! He IS 15 months old (not 4.5mo), but had I known the results would be so wonderful and the procedure so FAST I would have done it when he was MUCH younger. Our pedi opthamologist said they can even do it in the office for the little ones. I'd still prefer it in a hospital with anesthesia, but that's me. If our future children have this issue - I will definitely get the surgery done a lot sooner.
Good luck and feel free to contact me if you have any more questions! I posted a similar question a while back and it really helped me with the whole process.
Both of my daughters had a clogged tear duct for months after birth. Our doctor prescribed the antiobitic eye ointment to apply a couple of times a day, and there was a definite difference when I was used it (vs. when I forgot to use it!). It did eventually clear up completely.
