2 month old with gunky eye...what to do?

10612 Views 9 Replies 10 Participants Last post by ellacy, Apr 7, 2006

sunnylady303

Discussion Starter · Apr 7, 2006

My 2 month old has a little bit of a yucky eye. It's watering a bit and has a little bit of gunk. What could this be? Should I worry? She had an ear infection 2 weeks ago, could it be related to that? Or could it be something with not getting the antibiotic eye ointment at birth? I am worried. She's acting normal, although she has been sleeping a lot the past three days. My dh helpfully suggested I squirt milk in her eye (I had forgotten that that could help!). Do I need to see a doctor? I would appreciate advice and wisdom...Thanks!

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krizty

· #2 · Apr 7, 2006

I'd just keep an eye on it for now. DD had pink eye this week. She was acting normal and everything seemed fine. She didn't have a temperature. I didn't know anyone else that had it. Of course the daycare didnt tell me it was going around daycare until after I said "she's not coming today, she has pink eye".

The only thing you can do is keep cleaning her eyes and wash your hands before and after you touch her eyes. I have noticed she cries less if I clean the corners of her eyes gently with a Q-Tip than with a wash cloth. I thought it was just a cold or allergy until it spread to the other eye.

Here is a picture of pink eye.

http://drworkman.optometry.net/userf...k-eye.tiff.gif

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eirual

· #3 · Apr 7, 2006

There was a thread like this started a month or so ago, and the general concensus was that that baby had a clogged tear duct. Not sure what came of it, perhaps you could search the archives, or go back a few pages.

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Ravin

· #4 · Apr 7, 2006

Squirt some breastmilk in it at each feeding. BM is just the right ph, and has antibiotic properties. It's a good treatment for plugged ducts (which it probably is w/ a 2 mo. w/ no older sibs and not in daycare), and for pinkeye (though I don't consider it a substitute for abx for pinkeye).

My DD has had combo pinkeye/ear infection. If she was going to get pinkeye from the bug that caused her ear infection, it would have been at the same time, not after a course of antibiotics.

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Ellie Jan

· #5 · Apr 7, 2006

DS has a blocked tear duct and his eye is always runny and gross. I usually put some BM on a cotton ball and rub gently over his eye to clean it. Then I massage gently between his nose and inner eye. It gets better for a few days and then I have to do it all again. His is blocked though not just clogged.

Marcia

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EVC

· #6 · Apr 7, 2006

We had a gunky/watery eye a month or so ago. Tried bm and maybe coincidentally, maybe not it cleared up in a few days. So it's probably nothing to worry about.

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calbury

· #7 · Apr 7, 2006

My ds has this until he was about 5 months old, then it cleared up by itself. I was told it was caused by a blocked tear duct too and that if it persisted for too long, the doctor could perform a simple procedure to help. Fortunately, it didn't get that far.

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Kimcarrots

· #8 · Apr 7, 2006

When my son was younger he had a gooey eye. I squirted breastmilk, applied camomile tea bags (or you could use a cotton ball to wipe the eyes with the brewed tea), and just generally cleaned his eyes every 1/2 hour or so with a cotton ball. It cleared up in 2-3 days.

I hope your babe feels better.

Kimberly

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freestyler

· #9 · Apr 7, 2006

It is generally a plugged tear duct---all four of mine had this! It usually clears up on its own by 9 months, usually by 5-6 months in the majority of cases. It has nothing to do with not doing ointment at birth! So don't even beat yourself up by going there!

Just keep cleaning the area with a warm washcloth and massage it whenever you think of it. Massage the tear duct area, that can help to open it up. Otherwise, the eye does not require medical attention unless it gets really red and especially if the whites of the eyes get red. That of course indicates infection, which breastmilk sometimes doesn't alleviate.

My babies have also been much goopier in their eyes if I have eaten something they're sensitive or allergic to. With my 6-month-old who seems to be allergic (not just sensitive) to wheat and dairy, if I eat the offending foods she will have goopy eyes the next day. (So I don't eat 'em anymore.) But the diet connection does not hold true for everyone.

Good luck and be patient. It'll go away eventually.

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ellacy

· #10 · Apr 7, 2006

My dd has blocked tear ducts on both eyes, since birth. If the duct is just clogged, gently massaging the duct can help expel the clog. One thing I learned was to use a different cloth for each eye so that if there is an infection, it won't be spread to the other eye in your attempt to clean it.

ellacy
dd 8 mo.

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