Advice re 8 wk old's eye

[Homophone]

I had eye infection when ds born. Was on day 4 out of 5 of second course of eye drops. 2yr old dd had had it too but was cleared for her by first course.

Anyway ds very quickly got sticky eye. Maybe even first day - bit hard to remember. Certainly in first week.

I know this is normal and many babies have it. I don't buy into the squirting breastmilk into it as a cure all thing so when we were at doc for something else that week I mentioned it. They said it was normal or blocked tear duct and to keep clean and it would sort stuff out.

In week 3 when not getting better I decided to treat with chloramphenicol. Dd had been prescribed this as baby so knew even though prescription only for under twos they do give to babies. Didn't help and got worse. Went to doc again.and admitted I had used chloramphenicol. She swabbed it and gave fusithalmic drops. They also didn't help and when gp rang later to say swab came back positive for an Infection she suggested another course of chloramphenicol.

This cleared it for a few days. Then the gunk came back. By this time he was six weeks. Gp looked at six week check. V dismissive despite still full of gunk after three courses antibiotics. Said it would heal itself.

So I took him to the moorfields eye hospital children's drop in clinic at seven weeks. Thy were very nice. Said I was right to take him in but that actually go probably right and probably blocked tear duct with a little infection and to use fusithalmic drops again.

Anyway have nearly finished the course and it is getting worse, or certainly no better. Having to wipe gunk, sometimes green, sometimes clear, away frequently.

Dd had very similar eye problems when born and was also dismissed by gp and again had taken her to moorfields. However that was at 11 weeks because at 12 weeks she had a kidney op and I didn't want that to be cancelled due to eye infection. They gave her eye drops which cleared it up enough for her op o go ahead but what properly cleared it up was the post op antibiotics. So really her eye getting better was completely by chance as a by product of drugs for another reason. Which is why I don't buy the blocked year duct thing because they told us that for her but as soon as she had the strong antibiotics for kidney op eye got better and never became a problem again (until the Infection she had just before ds born).

So, what do I do? Go to gp who is dismissive? Go back to moorfields and say I don't think the course of action they suggested is helping? Ask for another swab?

It is clearly bothering ds. Which in turn bothers me.

Sorry very long post. Perhaps I could print it off to show gp as I find they come to conclusion as soon as you give one symptom rather than take proper case history.

[UnrequitedSkink]

I had to endure 17 weeks of gunky eye with DS2 before the tear duct finally unblocked, all of a sudden one day...

[Pandasandmonkeys]

I could have written this post myself! DS is now 18 weeks and we are still having all the same problems plus a swollen right eyelid. Have been fobbed off by the gp many times now, got some drops once but they did nothing to help. I'm interested to read that moor fields do a drop in clinc for children's eyes? If you don't mind, can you give me some more details about this please? Thanks.

[Homophone]

Yes of course. It's basically choldren's a&e in the Richard Desmond building behind the nain hospial at Old St but whereas if it was an emergency you'd go any time 24/7 if it's non emergency you go between 9-4 Mon-Fri and they see you. You are triaged so you may have to wait quite a while but we got there on a Tues morning at 10am and were out by midday.

I actually rang their helpline first but the nurse did adults so told me to ring children's a&e. They told me to come in if I wanted.

[Homophone]

Sorry for the typos. Unrequited - was your dc's eye gunky and watery?

[takeaway2]

We had that. And we did the boob milk etcetc. Finally went to a paed and he said just gently massage the eye where the tear duc is (between the eye and nose bridge)... And it cleared. Forever. 6 months old.

[Pandasandmonkeys]

Yes, very watery and gunky. Some of the gunk has subsided now he a little older but I was having to clean his eyes just so he c

[UnrequitedSkink]

Yes - sometimes tears and sometimes gunk, occasionally greenish gunk but mostly whitish. And sometimes it would seem to clear up for a day but it always came back. In the end I went and got a prescription from the docs for an eye infection because I couldn't believe he could have a blockage for that long. And I'd tried the breastmilk in the eye, and constantly cleansing with boiled water. Anyway, long story short, the pharmacist scared me by looking slightly perturned that whatever had been prescribed had been given to a baby, so before I started using it I thought I'd give boiled water with salt in a go, and I really massaged the area with some cotton wool... next day, all gone! Could have been a complete coincidence though, I have no idea.

[Pandasandmonkeys]

Could open them every time he slept til he was about 14 weeks. It was ridiculous! I think the only reason there is less gunk now is because he has learned to rub his sore little eyes himself - his sheet is always covered in dry eye gunk. The watering is as bad as ever and he constantly has track marks from thick gloppy tears down his face. We have been to a peadiatrition at our local hospital but was told to 'wait and see' what happens! We've been doing that for 4 months!

[Norem]

Hi two of my dss had this problem, the only thing that finally worked was very dilute johnsons no more tears shampoo and water. Used this solution and wiped it gently on a few times a day. Cleared up in two days and never came back.

[Homophone]

Norem that's interesting because I'd no way put shampoo in eye. Would be terrified.

Ophthalmologist at moorfields said he is unconvinced by the massage thing because duct is behind bone anyway. That said with dd doc at moorfields did it and gunk poured out.

[LackaDAISYcal]

I also did the massage thing when DD was 8 weeks old; along the side of the nose towards the blocked tear duct. Got an inch long string of green gunk out [vom]. Never bothered her again!

[Posterofapombear]

Do try breastmilk to sooth it though and it's antibacterial so if its an infection it may really help (did with my DD and I really wish I had done it sooner)

Also if they have a cold at that age it often results in eye gack.

[mrsyattering]

Ds had this when he was born after 3 weeks of drops, antibs and copius amounts of breastmilk. HV suggested massage. Applied a little pressure along top of nose towards his eye, huge amount of gunk......boak! Never bothered him again (well a bout of conjuctivitis at 3 )

[LadyMetroland]

My dd2 had something similar - it was a blocked tear duct. Took a long time (3 months at least) to clear up but it did eventually. Are you certain it's not just that?

[blondieminx]

I'd go back to RDCU at Moorfields, they're v thorough there and of course they're eye specialists rather than "general practitioners"

The massage thing has to be worth a try as well.

[Homophone]

I have been doing the massage very few days since it started too. Never produces anything though. The gunk is worse when he cries (ties into tear duct theory). Or every third day or so.

[Homophone]

No not certain ladymetroland. I know he did def also have an infection because swab showed it. But that may be clear now, or have cleared and come back.

[DeWe]

I was very skeptical about the breast milk theory, but when I tried it, it worked brilliantly. Two days from being really gunked up to being totally clear.
And any time it looked like returning, I did a slight squirt into the eye, and it went away. It doesn't hurt to put it on either.

I also used breastmilk on a cut that got puss under it with dd1. She showed me just after the doctors closed on Friday night, looked worse on Saturday, so I bathed it in bm over the weekend and it was almost cleared by Monday.

[Pandasandmonkeys]

Hi, I just wanted to say thanks again for the info about moorfields. We went today and finally got some clear answers.

[Homophone]

That's good. What did they say?

I rang them again earlier this week and they said if just gunky it's fine and just go back if white of eye gets red or it spreads to other eye or becomes inflamed.

[Pandasandmonkeys]

Blocked and inflamed tear ducts in both eyes - he also has pitosis in his right eye. We're going back in may to see a consultant there. Have to wait that long as he needs to be 6 mo to have the tests they want to do. Upsetting to find out he had a long term condition but at least it's been identified and followed up - not fobbed off again!

[Pandasandmonkeys]

Blocked and inflamed tear ducts in both eyes - he also has pitosis in his right eye. We're going back in may to see a consultant there. Have to wait that long as he needs to be 6 mo to have the tests they want to do. Upsetting to find out he had a long term condition but at least it's been identified and followed up - not fobbed off again!