Eye gunk

kgrobot · May 2013

DS keeps having watery eyes and gunk that I constantly have to wipe out of his eyes. They don't seem to be causing him irritation. Any over the counter drops anyone would recommend? Should I call pedi?

camdensmom32 · May 2013

DS has had this since he was born and is now 6 weeks. One eye has cleared up and the other hasn't. I have asked the pedi about it before and she said sometimes their ducts get plugged and to use a warm wash cloth to massage the duct and wipe out the eye. I have been doing this but his eye still has gunk. I will be having the pedi check it out at his next appt.

LtlAngL · May 2013

My son has this too. We took him to the pedi because I thought he had pink eye, but the white part of his eye wasn't pink or red so that wasn't it. The doctor said it's a blocked tear duct and is very common in newborns. The doctor took a culture of the goop coming out of his eyes just to make sure there was no infection, and we just have to clean his eyes with a cotton ball with warm water on it and do a "lacrimal gland massage" to help clear it up.

I would recommend taking him to the pedi just to make sure its nothing, but if you google "newborn blocked tear duct" and look at the images, they might look familiar.

HTH.

MommaG123 · May 2013

Agree with PPs. It's probably a blocked tear duct. Washing/massaging it with a warm wash cloth should help.

Ajmm84 · May 2013

My LO also had this and Pedi said same thing that is was clogged duct. It was very frustrating to clean him and then have it keep coming, I felt so bad, his eye was getting irritated, and sometimes when he woke up I would have to help him open his eye b/c the gunk was holding it closed. The massaging didn't really help, but it did clear up after he was a month old or so. Unfortunately I don't think there is much else you can do for it, at least not that I know of

Linzr0723 · May 2013

My LO has this too and has for weeks...our pedi said it was a clogged tear duct and just to wipe it with a warm cloth as needed. We also have a prescription ointment that he said is only necessary when the eye is red/irritated or we are having to clean her 3 times or more in an hour...unfortunately it can last up a year

vindaloo · May 2013

If you're seriously concerned about this, call your pedi. Do NOT go putting random overthecounter stuff in LO's eyes! And I wouldn't rely on the advice of strangers on the Internet regarding something as delicate as your LO's eyes, either.

oandmplus1 · May 2013

DS had a clogged tear duct which became infected, I could def tell the difference. He had a goopy eye but the amount and color of the drainage changed. It was greenish and pretty much constant. He just had a prescription eye ointment and it cleared right up.

rjeller32 · May 2013

Let it runs it's course. DD2 had that same issue, and it usually goes away on it's own, but definitely mention it to your pedi, in case it doesn't go away. I used BM, it really helps to clean out the eye.

buffyverrban1 · May 2013

My DD has this too. If you BF use BM on a cloth to wipe it clean every couple hours. BM contains antibodies that help clear it up faster. My DD's eye was all cleared up by the next day.

Crequito · May 2013

DD has this in one eye. It was really bad this past Monday and I was constantly wiping it with a clean cloth. I started doing the massaging thing Monday afternoon and by Tuseday morning it was much better. It's still a little watery and will gunk overnight but I just use a warm compress and wipe as needed. I read up on clogged tear ducts and they can usually clear up on their own.

brandi6102 · May 2013

Yes call your pedi. My LO had this as well. I researched on the Internet, most sites said to clean and massage and it will go away on its own. HOWEVER, I took LO to see pedi and hers also had an infection! Not something to mess with especially when it comes to their eyes. She prescribed an ointment and her eye was cleared up the next day!

Want a personalized experience?

Eye gunk

Re: Eye gunk

Choose Another Board

Search Boards