7 Month Old W/conjunctivitis?

Basically I think the general consensus from the many times we've gone in to the doctor is that if he has goopy eyes to the point of sealing them shut in the morning for 2-3 days, you should go to the doctor. I've had it clear up on its own by the third day. Goopy eyes! Ug! :)

I had that happen to me when I was younger & my doctor said it was an infected tear duct. I don't remember what they gave me but I do remember that they told me I was supposed to sit with a warm compress on it.

You need to take him to the doctor to get some medicine for the infection. One of my kids had this. They have her an ointment to put in the eyes. It's a little messy and uncomfortable going in but it works.

You do need to call the doctor on this one. Meanwhile, to clean off the "gunk" and help his eyes open take a washcloth soaked in warm water and hold it over the eyelid to soften the "gunk". You should be able to work it loose snd make him more comfortable.

My 16 month old daughter just went throught this a few weeks ago....She woke up with junk on her eyelids, but her eyes were never red. I took her to the doctors and it was conjunctivitis..She prescribed eye drops to clear the infection and she also said to keep applying warm wash clothes to the eye. It took 2 days for it to clear, but you still need to use the medicine for 7 days. Also, remember to wash your hands everytime you touch your son. My daughter was very mobile so she would rub her eye and then maybe touch the counter as an example. I tried my best to wipe everything she touched, but I ended up with the conjuctivistis as well. You should be all right since he is 7 months.Definatly take him to the doctor.

Hi K.,
I had the same thing happen to my son only he was only 1 week old. His eye was not red so its not pink eye but it did have those gooey eye boogers that seal their eyes shut. You need to take your child to the pediatrician asap. I rushed my son to the ER. Your son needs to get the medicine because it will not go away without it. Good Luck!!

It's not conjunctivitis - that is the good news. My now 1 year old had the same thing. The bad news is that it is some kind of infection but it is easily treatable with Erythromycin optical ointment which you have to see the doctor for.

I found that the best way to treat it was to apply warm wash cloth to the eye(s) a couple times a day to clean off any build up and WASH YOUR HANDS A LOT and DON'T PICK AT IT. Yes, it is very sticky and hurts when you pull it off.

Thankfully the infection cleared up quickly with my girl and we have not had a reoccurrence of it since. If I had to guess, I think it may be infection/irritation of the tear ducts due to the infection/infectious mucus from the sinus'. Anyway, it's common and clears up easily with eye ointment.

Hope this helps :)

~E. St.Clair
aka:____@____.com
Mother of Fiona-3 and Abigail-1

My daughter has had several eye infections over the years (she is now 3) especially in the first 18 months. Like everyone else has said, use a warm compress when he allows it and call your doc. I've used both ointment and drops. I think with a little guy, the ointment is a little easier, although a little messy. Also, watch for signs of an ear infection. About half of my daughters eye infections started as ear infections, which she never complained about. I had no idea they were linked. By the time I got her to the doc, she would have double ear infections and an eye infection. Good luck!

Girl - take him in! They will give him a perscription and it will clear up very quickly. Probably doesn't even bother him so don't worry - he probably just looks a little funny! Good luck!

Hello, K.. Take your son to his pediatrician who may in turn send you to an eye doctor for medication. One of my sons had this when he was young and if memory serves, the doctor prescribed an ointment and/or drops that I had to put in his eyes. In the meantime, use a warm, damp, soft washcloth to gently wipe his eyes so that he can open them. I know this hurts because I also had something similar when I was a child. I hope this is helpful.

Hi K.,
Try applying a warm cloth to his eyes as this will make is easier to get his eyes open in teh morning. I would have the pediatyrician check him out. If it is conjucntivitis, antibiotic drops will clear it up in no time.

Take care,
M.

Yep, been there before. My son (now 20 months) has a tendency to get conjunctivitis. Evidently, there are two kinds: one is viral and it appears on its own, the other is a complication that arises in conjunction with a cold. During his first year, my son got conjunctivitis about 50 percent of the time he got a cold. Like your son, his eyes were never red or pink, just "gunky." Anyway, it is treated with antibiotic eye ointment. Call your pediatrician's office and explain the symptoms. They might just call in a prescription for you, or they may want you to bring him in to make sure he doesn't have anything else to be concerned about, like strep throat or ear infection, etc. NOTE: You probably won't use all the eye ointment for this round of conjunctivitis. Save the tube. My pediatrician told me it was totally fine to save it and re-use the same tube the next time my son got conjunctivitis (thereby saving a trip to the ped's office), as long as I didn't use it after the expiration date on the medicine. Good luck and hope the little guy feels better soon!

Goopy eyes definitely qualifies as a good reason to see the pediatrician. It could be something as simple as clogged tear ducts but it could also be pink eye. Definitely worth the copay to get it checked out.

We JUST got over this. It is REALLY contagious. You need to get to the peds for a formal diagnosis and eye drops. To ease the discomfort use a warm wet washcloth to dislodge the hardened crust. Good luck and wash wash wash your hands!
:)