9.5wk old still has a gungy eye - any suggestions?

[loueytb3]

DS3 still has a mucky eye, yellow/green gunge which I have to clean daily. Went to Drs weeks ago about it and was prescribed antibiotics but swab came back clean and the abs made no difference. Dr thinks its a blocked tear duct and has suggested trying to massage it I remember DS2 having this too and it took a while to clear up but I'm pretty sure it had cleared by now. Is there anything I can do to speed it up?

DS had this and someone advised to pop a drop of breastmilk in his eye. It cleared up and a couple of days. Not sure if the milk did the trick, it could have just been coincidence.

My son had a blocked tear duct. It lasted until he was 6 months old. No infection or drops required - just growth. Good luck!

I recommend breast milk too if that's an option for you.

DD had this and actually had to have an operation at 12 months to fully open up the tear duct.
The tube is formed from both ends and sometimes doesn't quite meet in the middle. Keep trying the massage.

Yes also recommend breast milk. Also good for infected belly buttons etc.

If it is blocked then the breast milk won't help. It can take quite a while, DS's took about 7 months and was then gone overnight. They usually give until a year before they intervene.

I had this too and I really recommend going back to the doctor and asking for a different antibiotic. You always get the cheapest broad spectrum antibiotic the first time. It is not necessarily the best. If you did not have fusithalmic ointment you might gently suggest this to your doctor. My oldest turned out to have a hospital acquired eye infection which would not have cleared up without the right antibiotics so it is worth persevering.

3mum if the swab was clear as the OP says then antibiotics not needed.

Just cleaning it with breastmilk or cooled boiled water is all you can do really. They often sort themselves out and if not a small op can be done.

DD had this until she was about eight months. We were told to keep cleaning it with cooled boiled water, but it didn't help much and eventually she was prescribed fusidin (I think) eyedrops, which cleared it up very quickly.

Thank you for all your replies. Yes, the swab was clear so I assume its not an infection.

I have tried the BM today, but I'm inclined to think it may not work. For those of you that tried it, how often did you put it in the eye and how long did it take to work?

How do you massage the tear duct? Dr suggested using my finger but its huge in comparison to his eye and I feel like I'm pushing his eyeball in I had no idea it could take 6/7 months to clear, or in fact need surgery. Hope it doesn't take much longer.

We were told to use a finger to run down the edge of his nose from the tear duct downwards. Don't know if it helped or not. I can remember being quite worried and fussed and then overnight it went and it was as if it had never happened. Hope that happens for you soon.

Thanks Skiing - that's a much more helpful description than my GP gave me.

Warm previously boiled water with a drop of baby shampoo. Soak a cotton wool pad and place it over the eye and if you can keep it there for a minute or do, then repeat with another pad. Do this regularly througout the day.

I had a huge sty on my eye lid last week and this cleared it up in a couple of days.

Hope that helps

minute or so

My 20 month old had this and whilst it cleared up at about 9 months, he is prone to eye infections still. I also had a friend whose little girl had a blocked tear duct, but it sorted itself out by the time she got to about 18 months. (She was reluctant to let her have the op, and she was right to do so - lucky I guess!)

DD had this and I went back to a very old fashioned recipe, cold tea. The water has been boiled so sterile and the tanins in the tea reduce the inflammation and help to relive the blocked tear duct.