13 Mo Old Having a Bilateral Nasolacrimal Duct (NLD) Probe Done?????

hi my grandkids call me gramma cc

mother of six 5 boys one daughter, gramma of 9, 5 boys 4 girls..not a doctor,but in todays world my advise always, always get a second opinion..
good luck with your daughter..

gramma cc

I'm an optometrist, and one of my twin boys (now 10 yrs old) had the same problem. Typically babies are supposed to grow out of it by age 12 mos, but if they do not, that's when they recommend having the procedure done. The procedure itself is very fast and easy, as you stated. The worry is more about the anesthesia than anything else, but it is definitely necessary in a child that young. If there are other medical conditions that are needed, they often schedule at the same time (like ear tubes) so that the baby only has to go under anesthesia once. The worst part about the whole thing was the baby waking up after anesthesia (because we couldn't be in the room with him until he did) and he cried hysterically until we were there to calm him down. But that is to be expected.

I think your pediatric Ophthalmologist is much more experienced in this (it's his specialty, after all) and knows what he is talking about (as opposed to a Lasik specialist). However, you could wait it out for another month or two to see if the problem resolves. (In the meantime, you can try gentle massage-- use the tip of your pinky finger (no nails) on the inside corner of her eyes.) But my son's never did, and he underwent the procedure at 15 months of age (a little on the late side). And it was so great after we did it! No more tearing or goopy eyes!! He looked great in pictures after that, too!

The doctor who did his procedure said that when she did it, there was a very obvious "pop" as there was a membrane that never really got out of the way during development. So it really wasn't going to resolve itself. I definitely felt it was worthwhile to do. After it was done, I wished that I had had it done sooner! If it will make you feel better, certainly you can seek a second opinion. But I am sure you will get the same answer.

Hope that helps to reassure you. Best of luck with it!

My youngest had this procedure done. We were worried for nothing. She came through like a trooper. They took her to the or, we went down the hall to get a cup of coffee and by the time we got back to the waiting area they were looking for us because she was already done. She didn't have any trouble after the procedure. I really wish we would have done it sooner.

Hi L.. My 15-month old daughter just had this procedure done two weeks ago. I was also terrified! But everything went smoothly and that the experience was much easier for all of us than I thought it would be. I was amazed at how well everything went. In addition, her eyes are SO much better than they were before. She can see better, walk better, and is happier. And she looks a million times better. I didn't even notice how bad it had gotten, but now that it's cleared up, I can see such a huge difference.
The doctor had also noticed that her eyesight was starting to be affected by the clogged ducts. I guess all babies are far-sighted, but she was more far-sighted in one eye than the other. He said this could lead to lazy eye and a need for patches and glasses. He said clearing up the tear ducts can correct this problem. That is what inspired me to go ahead with the surgery. And I'm so glad I did.
The surgery itself was so fast. After they took her into surgery, I stopped in the bathroom and then sat in the waiting area. My husband wasn't even back from getting coffee yet when they came back to say she was done!
She was fine with the nurses, the temperature check, the hospital gown, and all that. They gave her some medicine to make the transition from me to the anesthesiologist easier, and it seemed to help.
The only thing that was hard about the day (other than having her taken from me, which obviously was tough to take and waiting, even though it was such a short time) was her reaction to waking up after the anesthesia. She was very angry and cranky, and that is nothing like her usual personality. My advice would be to make sure you have her favorite snuggly things and books and that if she takes a bottle you have it warmed up and ready to go for when she is brought to you. They let her have the bottle and food right away. I also wish I'd have brought her favorite snacks with me. She was starving.
Make sure you get the earliest surgery time possible so that your baby doesn't have to wait through a long day without eating.
Oh, more more thing, my daughter's ducts were clogged more than usual, so the surgery lasted 5 minutes longer so they could use a balloon catheter instead of the normal probe. So if you hear about that procedure, don't let it scare you.
Please contact me if you have any questions at all, L.. I'm happy to chat. I know I was so scared, but really everything went just great.

My daughter, who turns 27 next week, had the probe done at 6 months and never had the problem again. I was nervous, too, so her dad took her for the procedure. In less than a half hour she was sitting up and ready to go home.

HI L.,

I haven't gone through this but I am afraid we might have to. My son is 6 months and has never been able to stop his eye from draining. I got one eye when he was a newborn to stop but the other still has drainage and is constantly wet. The Dr gave me an ointment and it helps only for a bit and they it comes back.

I am afraid he may need a procedure like you daughter.
He was a little premature, 39 weeks. I don't know if that has anything to do with it. It doesn't really matter.
His eye gets so irritated when I whipe it down.... poor baby.

I hope that it is a quick painless procedure and most importantly that it fixes it!
Amy

Hi,
My son just had that done to one eye about a month ago. The ophthalmologist I saw said that when the tear duct is clogged, the child is more susceptible to eye infections, and that once they start school, the teachers will always think he has pink eye and will be sending him home. She did not mention anything about deteriorating vision. That being said, we still went ahead with the procedure. Unfortunately, I don't think it worked...the ophthalmologist said it could take up to 3 months to see results, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It was very quick, coming out of the anesthesia was a bit scary, but my son was back to his old self later on that day. He did have bloody tears that day, but it was gone by the next morning.

yes, get a second opinion! maybe the opinion will confirm what the first doc said and then you can feel good about it - or, they will say something else! did you do tear duct massage? of course, your childs health is #1, but maybe someone else would have a less invasive and traumatizing idea. if it is what needs to be done, be confident in your decision. good luck to you!

I'm assuming that your talking about a blocked tear duct. My daughter is 14 months old and has the same thing. It's only in the right eye for her though. We have her scheduled for Jan. 25th to be anesthetized and the duct flushed. Our pediatric eye doctor gave us the option of having it done with her awake but the success rate is 80% instead of the 95% with her anesthetized. I personally don't want them holding my daughter down and trying to probe in her eye. Plus, if they were to hold her down and the procedure didn't work or the duct became plugged again then she would have to be anesthetized anyway. My pediatrician said that if the tear duct doesn't open up by itself by one year then I most likely will not.
I am studying to be a veterinary technician and I have assisted with this procedure many times in dogs. It is a very simple procedure that is very quick if the patient is holding still. My main concern is fasting her and the anesthesia. She is young and healthy and they will have monitoring devices on her plus an anesthesiologist monitoring her so she will be fine. My daughter still nurses several times through the night and in the morning so the fasting thing is my main concern!
Good luck and get a second opinion if it makes you feel better!!

Hi. My son tear ducts were blocked too as a baby. He just so happened to be born premature at 34 weeks and spent two weeks at Children's. Then I noticed that his eyes teared constantly, and the doc told me thats what it was. He said that if it didn't clear in a year on its own we could have it lanced. He had it for two months and luckily it cleared. I would have went through with it if it hadn't. It just seemed that it was so uncomfortable for him. Thats a good idea to ask the eye doc any questions. It's ok to be scared, its your baby!! But just think that it will be better for her to see clearly and not be tearing all the time. Also, I love Children's!!! Everyone there is so professional, and really care about you and your child, and they really know their stuff!! They will take good care of your daughter!!