Concerned and looking for advice ...

[MrsB0412]

My daughter is 18 weeks old.
Her right eye started getting sticky and muscous filled so I took her to GP assuming conjunctivitis and was prescribed eyedrops with no instructions on use...

On reading the leaflet that come with them it said to continue to use for 48 hour after symptoms clear. The eye improved quickly and never spread to the other eye within 3 days so I stopped using them after 48hr (5 days )

5 days later it reappeared

I spoke with pharmacist you agreed I had probably stopped a little too soon and its normally 7 days... And as I had stored in fridge as instructed to start again for 7 days.

This time symptoms have improved considerably but not completely gone ...so I went back to GP (who I have zero faith in)

He said if it was conjunctivitis it would have cleared by now with drops.. To stop using them and that it was "probably" a blockage and that it would sort itself out... Could be 3 weeks could be 3 months

And that was it
No follow up
No come back in X weeks
No swabs taken

I'm not sure what to do now

See another GP for second opinion ?
Insist on swabs being done?
Stop drops on his advice even though they have improved symptoms?

Anyone got any advice or been through similar??

Were you cleaning the eye with saline before each application of the drops?
You need to bathe the eye with sterile saline prior to putting the drops in in order to clean away any discharge.

If it flares up again after a week of treatment, go back and ask for a swab to be taken.

Wash your hands thoroughly before touching her face/eyes. Change the sheet/pillow case that she sleeps on at least twice a day. Never pull dirty clothes over her head and keep her hands as clean as possible.

My DD had sticky eyes for weeks. Eye would be sticky and runny. Similar experience as you, thought it was an eye infection and had drops which didn't help, no follow up from doctor.

One of the older wiser health visitors said it was probably a blocked tear duct.

Recommended expressing a little breast milk (or cooled boiled water if you are not BF) on to cotton wool ball and cleansing the eye with it every few hours. Also 'massage' the tear duct to clear the blockage. Basically use the cotton wool ball (damp with the breast milk or water) and rub the closed eye in a circular motion staring near the nose and working outwards. (Sorry not explaining very well!)

Took another week or so but it did the trick of unblocking the tear ducts and it's been fine ever since. Very common apparently.

My son had a blockage that lasted for 5 months so it could well be that, I'm afraid!

Cranial osteopath solved my DD's blocked tearduct after several months of bathing eye etc.