eye gunk

Mkay&Billy2011 · July 2012

my baby is almost three weeks old and her right eye keeps getting this yellowish gunk in it thats like coming out. its like an eye booger. what is it? she was outside alot today so could it just be allergies? anyone have experience with this?

thanks

Jess & Drew · July 2012

Sounds like it could possibly be a clogged tear duct. 3 wks is about the time that DDs right eye started acting up. Its not a huge issue and not uncommon. It will usually correct itself before 1 yr. Our Dr told us to Keep it clean with a warm rag and massage the area between her nose and eye with your finger tip. You can always take LO in just to verify that it is in fact a clogged tear duct and not some other issue.

maggiemooandyou · July 2012

Both of my boys had this, more than likely it is a clogged eye duct. It normally resolves before 12 months, and does not need to be treated unless the conjunctiva (white of the eye) is red or inflamed. This doesn't mean you don't need to notify your pediatrician or see him. With my boys the Dr told me to "treat" the clogged duct by gently massaging the skin near the tear duct closest to the bridge of the nose. It's normal, and very common in infants. If for some reason your Dr does need to treat the clogged tear duct for infx, the normal antibiotic is erythromycin. It's the same ointment they put in your babies eyes right after birth to prevent infection the baby may have become exposed to during delivery (via vag or c/s).

https://www.advancedpediatricassociates.com/pediatrichealthlibrary/tearductblocked.asp

stemms8810 · July 2012

Yep, could defintely be a clogged tear duct. Both my kids had them. Although, my DS had this yesterday. The daycare freaked out and wanted him checked by the Dr before returning to daycare on Monday. I took him in last night and turns out he has the start of an ear infection. The pedi said that the sinuses and ears are connected which can cause the eyes and ears to have problems at the same time. I was glad I took him in when I did because now we caught it early.

I am not saying this is the case here but to just be aware. If she gets a fever of any kind I would suspect it could be an ear infection.

Mkay&Billy2011 · July 2012

Thank you ladies. We did call her doctor and he said it sounded like a clogged tear duct and to wash it like you said. He said if it wasnt getting better by Monday he could see her. Thanks again!

vitski · July 2012

My son has the same issue. I thought it was extra gunk in the eye, but then found out that he has a blocked tear duct. This could be the case with your little one if their eye is wet (tears) when they are not crying. Most of the time it clears itself up, but sometimes they need to open it up. This is not done until they are about one year old though.