Dr. Lynn Cates
Specializing in pediatric infectious diseases and childhood immunizations.
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 Ask Dr. Cates
Infant with Blocked Tear Ducks | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Cates,
My 2-month-old baby girl has what the doctor says are "blocked tear ducts," which make her eyes run all the time and sometimes she can't even open her eyes because they are caked over with green stuff. Will this ever get better? The doctor wouldn't give her any eye drops or anything.
— Gina in Kingsport,Tn | | | ANSWER |
April 18, 2002 | | | Dear Gina,
What your daughter has is a very common problem that is a terrible nuisance, but almost never a serious problem. Normally, tears are cleared from the eye through tear ducts, but when these ducts are blocked, the tears flow down the baby's cheek, or build up and dry out, leading clumps of yellowish discharge or "matter" in the eye. Blocked tear ducts generally open up by themselves within the first few weeks to months of life. Sometimes massaging the ducts helps them open sooner, so ask your provider if he thinks massaging the ducts will help in this case. Once in a while, a minor surgical procedure is required to open them up. Your provider will let you know if the time comes to explore this kind of treatment.
In the meantime, the blockage and build up of discharge make her more prone to eye infections, so until the ducts open, the most important thing you can do is clean your baby's eyes very gently with a soft, clean, moist washcloth.
If the amount of discharge increases, or if the white part of her eyes or her eyelids become red or swollen, it may mean that she has gotten an infection that needs antibiotic drops, so she should be checked. Otherwise, unfortunately, there aren't any drops that help this condition.— by Lynn Cates, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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