Green Discharge from 8 Week Olds Eyes

This may be an ear infection coming out from the eyes. My baby had this. Antibiotics cleared it right up. Red eyes=pink eye, but apparently an ear infection can present this way.

We had the exact same thing happen with my son, and it really does go away on it's own. Just keep massaging the tear duct to help break up the blockage. His went away withing a month or two. He got it again 2 months ago, but after massaging it again, it went away within 2 weeks.
Just remember it looks worse than it is, and it bothers us as parents more than it does them. Good luck, and try not to worry.

When my son had discharge from his eyes as an infant, I boiled some water, steeped organic chamomile tea in it and made a solution that I could wipe his eyes out with a cotton ball. Before doing so, I let the water cool and strained out any pieces of chamomile (if you use tea bags this is unnecessary). I then put the tea in the fridge and used it over a couple of days, several times a day. Be advised that the refrigeration is necessary to keep the solution fresh and that it needs to be dumped and new tea made after a few days. I have also used the herbs lavender and eyebright to success. The eyes cleared up in about a week.

Hi,

My daughter had to eventually have one of her tear ducts surgically opened but, after taking her to an opthomologist learned that most pediatricians do not illustrate how to correctly massage the duct to clear it and help it open. Had I know and used the correct technique it most likely would have opened on its own. Here's the proper technique-
Using your thumb, you want to apply firm pressure in an UPWARD motion right where the tear duct is and using the side of the nose area as a base if that makes sense. You can also massage slightly under the duct in a upward motion, almost in like a J shape (or a backwards one for the right eye), but the key is upward and firm. Do this every time you change a diaper. There is an antibiotic ointment or drops that you can use that will keep the discharge a white color, and personally I would recommend the ointment because it provides a more slippery surface for the massaging. Really stay committed to the massaging, she's still young enough that it is likely to make a difference.

Go see an opthamologist. If you need a referral, ask for one from the pediatrician. Just because she can't do anything doesn't mean something can't be done.

At the very least, seeing an actual eyeball specialist/surgeon will put your mind at ease when and if they say that nothing can be done and you've exhausted your options.

I do know that plugged tear ducts are pretty common. One of my friend's son's had one, and I believe they did a surgery to unpluggle it when he was 18 months old.

My daughter had the same thing, it sounds like conjunctivitis. Her pediatrician prescribed erythromyacine and it cleared up within a few days. I would get a different pediatrician! Good luck!

My cousin's son had this happen, and they ended having to do a minor "surgery" to open his tear duct. Before that, she had an ointment she put in his eye to help with infection, and a warm wet washcloth was pretty much stapled to her to wipe away the discharge. But it cleared up, and he's healthy as can be :)

My daughter had that same problem..... 18 years ago. I know my pediatrician did something. He may have given me an antibiotic, but my daughters eye did swell a bit right below the tear duct.

Our third child had two clogged tear ducts. It was gross and often made his eyes puffy and red (not the eyeball, the skin under the eye) from the irritation of constantly wiping the gunk away.

It was sometimes green. Our doctor recommended the same thing - massaging the duct. At six months one tear duct opened up. At nine months the ped said the other duct would probably open up on it's own by 12 months, but referred me to a ped eye specialist to discuss options. That doctor gave me samples of individually packaged sterile eye lid cleaning pads. They worked really well, and didn't sting our babies eyes at all. I'm sorry I can't remember the name of them, but I was able to find them in the drugstore (probably Longs). They came in a box of 50 or 100 pads.

Massage and frequent wiping should clear it up temporarily. But my son's eyes never stayed clear for more than a week or two before they would clog up again. The eye specialist also said it almost always clears up on its own by 12 months old. If it doesn't, they can use a probe to do it. But that sounds scary, so most parents choose to wait it out.

K.,
My baby had something similar and my pediatrician wanted to see him ASAP, because it turned out to be Conjunctivitis. Well, he had gotten it from me. Anyway, it is dangerous for babies to get it, unlike when adults get it, so he was prescribed antiibiotics to be dropped into his eyes and it went away in a couple of days. If your girl has conjunctivitis, there IS something you pediatrician can do!

Hi K.,
Green discharge is a sign of infection. Think I would get a second opinion!! It may be a blocked tear duck - or something else. This can be a symptom of other things. Question - do you have a cat in the house? Does she have any other signs of maybe a cold? In any case - take her to another pediatrician. She may need Clavomox or another antibiotic. Don't just call in - get an appointment. Babies eyes can be easily damaged.
Best to you both!
M.

Hi I am concerned that your pediatrician is not concerned, but my son at 9 months old had tons of green discharge which was conjunctivitis. I guess if your little one has clogged tear ducts it may be a different story but try the wash, it is pretty harmless. I cleared it up in 3 days using an herbal wash with golden seal. The recipe was 1/4 tsp golden seal powder, found at natural health food stores with bulk herbs, or you could buy capsules and open them up mix with 2 cups water and bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for 10-12 min. allow to cool a little bit and pour tincture mixture into a glass jar, you need glass so that you can see the solid herb powder fall to the bottom. Apply the mixture to baby's eye using a clean cotton ball, dip the cotton ball in the top of the mixture and wipe from the inside corner out, A lot of the mixture will get on baby's face and is okay, some will have gotten in her eye. use a clean cotton ball for each eye and repeat each hour

Contact an ophthamologist immediately.

This doesn't sound right. Has the doctor actually examined your baby's eye? I would do more than just call the pediatrician, I would take your child in to see the doctor right away. If you're not satisfied with the answer, get a second opinion. Good luck.

Hi,

We had the same trouble with our son. His eye looked terrible. We tried the breast milk and the message and it did nothing. His eye never got red.

Finally, they gave us some eye drops and it went away compltely for quite awhile. When it came back again, we used the drops again and it went away. He finally stopped having an issue with it when he was around 6 months old. I am soory, but I do not remember the name of the drops. Our doctor gave us the little bottle in the office, free of charge. I hope this helps you!

Not only does this sound gross but VERY uncomfortable for your little girl. I say demand an appt w/your ped. to check this out. I myself would be irked (& am for you) about the ped's response that she'll probably outgrow it...that's not a good enough response, especially if this is all over the phone & the ped hasn't even seen it for herself. Get her in to the ped. Do you like this dr. otherwise? You may want to think about switching. Good luck!

I'd get a 2nd opinion. It sounds like you are not satisfied with your doctor's responses.

I've been frustrated with our doctor's office because of the sloppy care we feel we are receiving, so I'm going to switch. There is no need for us to continue paying them for sub-par medical care!!

This happened to us with our older daughter. But or us, massaging her eye with a warm, wet washcloth did help. Seeing as how it didn't help for you, and how the problem has gotten worse, why not get a second opinion? If it's nothing, then at least your mind will be at ease. I do agree with the other poster who said to let her cry now and then. The more tears flow through her tear ducts, the quicker the blockage will clear.

i would continue with breastmilk in the eyes...give it another day or two and if you see no result then to the doc i would go... or check out some homeopathic solutions. good luck.

My daughter also had a clogged tear duct and it was not helped by massaging either. Most resolve themselves by 12 months old and if not then there is a procedure that can be done to clear the duct. Clogged tear ducts are pretty common, hopefully your daughter's will resolve itself. I would not worry about it too much, it is like the one person said it probably bothers you more than her.

When my son was around that same age, he had similar symptoms, and his pediatrician said it was the same thing -a blocked tear duct, and it would go away on its own and it did, eventually.
To clean his eyes, his pediatrician recommended we use lukewarm sterile water (water that has been boiled than cooled) and cotton balls to clean the discharge from the eyes- dunk the cotton ball in the water, one wipe of the eye, then toss the cotton ball, repeat with new wet cotton balls as needed.

Hi K.,

My daughter had this also for awhile. My Ped told me to use warm water and cotton balls, hold the wet cotton on her closed eye for a few seconds while gently massaging the tearduct area near the bridge of her nose, then wipe from the inside of the eye to the outside. Use a clean cotton ball each time. I would do it until each eye is clean. It did clear up. She eventually had to have some drops but nothing serious. Just be patient and everything should be fine. :) Some Peds aren't quick to prescribe meds for babies, which is a good thing. Esp when it can be taken care of naturally. I know it's hard but you can do it!

Both my children had this problem due to closed tear ducts. My my first eventually had to have a minor surgery to open it up, but it usually opens by the end of their first year. My second opened up around 9 months of age. My doctor's never told me to rub breast milk in her eye. What does work is to massage the corner of her eye, rubbing up and down and pressing against her nose. If she resists, the best time is during breastfeeding, she will be less bothered by your rubbing. My pediatrician also gave me eye drops to put in the eye. If the eye has a lot of discharge that it is closed shut in the morning, then I would ask for the drops as it is most likely infected. Try to keep the eye clean. Always wash your hands before and after rubbing the eye. Try to keep the discharge away by cleaning with a clean wash cloth. I was told to try to massage the eye during every breastfeeding. Good luck.

Hi there, didn't read all of the responses you got but I'm sure you heard get a seconed opinion including maybe an eye doctor, absolutely wouldn't let this go, your babys eyes are for her whole life. Also to see if anything else is going on. good luck ~~ J.

My son had that same eye dischage. I just kept puuting breastmilk in it and It cleared up after a couple of months.

I know nothing about this, but it doesn't sound normal. I would seek a second opinion!

Both of my daughters had clogged tear ducts. My first daughter had 1 tear duct clogged until she was 6 months old, when we were given an eye ointment to use along with massage, then it resolved. My second daughter had both tear ducts clogged until she was 14 months. Nothing worked for her. Breastmilk, warm compresses, massaging just didn't help. The older she got the harder it was to do compresses and massaging. She didn't want to sit still and really disliked the massaging. I asked her doctor for the same ointment that he had given my first daughter(couldn't remember what kind it was). He would not prescribe anything and told us to wait it out. At 11 months I requested a referrel to a pediatric opthamologist. The eye doctor said she would schedule surgery at 12 months if it didn't clear up. The thought of surgery made us nervous. We decided to wait to schedule surgery until she was 13 months. At 13 months she got sick and we decided to wait. Then at 14 months it finally cleared on its own. It was really frustrating at times. I think the discharged bothered us more than it did my daughter and it finally did clear. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Be persistent with the massaging, breast milk, and warm compresses. Keep a close eye out for redness. And don't be afraid to ask for a referrel or 2nd opinion if you don't feel your concerns are being addressed.

My daughter had a similar problem. Her doctor said to put warm water on a wash cloth and massage the corner of the eye with the warm wash cloth 2-3 times a day. It took some time, but it did clear up.
C.

HI K.,
I want you to change your pediatrician immediately. At least get a second opinion. Your daughter needs to be SEEN by a physician right now. Even if you walk into a "Doc in the box" and have to pay cash. Green is not a good color for anything coming out of a baby's eye on a regular basis and if your child has had a yeast infection in the eye, putting breast milk in it will only feed the infection, giving it room for a bacterial infection. (common sense) I am glad you are calm about this. It is always good to get a second opinion and I think that this is a "Must Do" for your child at this time.

Hi K., although I can't give you any suggestions I can tell you that my daughter had the yellow discharge from both eyes when she was about 3-4 weeks old. I can't remember what the doctor told me it was (this was 34 years ago) but I remember having to place a lukewarm cloth on her eyes after each nap and when she'd wake up in the morning because she couldn't open her eyes otherwise. I'm saying all this to say that this did not affect my beautiful daughter's eyesight and that she did get over it. You may want to check with another Pediatrician just for piece of mind for yourself. Take care of yourself and your baby girl.

Hello, K.!

I'm sorry this is happening to you, it's so scary when strange things happen with the little ones!

I'm going to risk copying what I am sure many have said and tell you to go to another pediatrician. You know, even with colds or any discharge, color can signify infection, and that's what green usually means.

As reassuring as your current doctor is, and though she may be 100% right.. ALWAYS trust your motherly instinct. If it's bothering you, take your baby in to someone else soon.
If it turns out to be nothing, then at least you will have peace.
But what if you take her in and help fix something that could potentially get worse? That's priceless.

Good Luck!

P. D

Dear K.,
Congrats on your little baby girl.
I know that many people say to put breast milk on baby's skin, etc. I never heard of putting it in your baby's eye, for heaven's sake. Do not do that any more!
The best thing you can do is use a warm wash rag to gently wipe your baby's eyes. It will feel good for her and rinse the gunk out. Do not put anything actually in her eyes. She may need a prescription cream to clear up an infection, but that's a different story. Try warm wash rags, gently. If the green discharge continues, see the doctor again or get a different opinion.
Green usually signals infection. Green means GO. (To the doctor, be it snot or pus in a scrape.)
Take care and don't put more milk in her eye. Imagine putting milk in your OWN eyes.

Let us know how the little sweetie does, okay?

My son had a clogged tear duct when he was just a few days old. Our friend and pediatrician said to push on the duct, very firmly (like pushing an elevator button) and then dragging your finger down the side of the baby's nose. Repeat it a few times, then again through out the day to help tears/gunk/etc drain out through the nose. Worked for us, but our gunk wasn't green. It's good that the whites of the eye are clear - no true eye infection, just snot. :) I've heard of baby's eyes crusting shut b/c of this sort of thing. Yuck, but harmless. Good Luck!

K., my son actually had the same thing coming out of his eyes within 2 months after he was born. I took him to the pediatrician and they told me the same thing that the tear ducts were not developed completely. My doctor however, gave me some kind of ointment to put in his eyes to help and it did. eventually he grew out of it. I would recommend calling the doctor and asking if there is some kind of eye drops that you can give her.

My little one who is the same age has had two bouts of the same thing--it's an eye infection caused by an immature tear duct. My doctor prescribed Erythromycin ointment to use 3 times a day for 5 days. It cleared it right up. They also said a common effect of the eye infection is an ear infection so watch for signs of that--fussiness while eating, etc.

Did you actually go to see the pediatrician? Do her eyes seem glued shut after sleeping? It sounds like pink-eye, but also like the pediatrician said it could be a closed (or clogged) tear duct. My daughter has had both and they look the same. Though my pediatrician had me use the antibiotic drops just in case. When they didn't work to clear it up, she said it was the tear duct.

My daughter did the same thing. I used a warm wash cloth to get rid of the goopies and help open the tear ducts. Something else that can help lubricate her ducts is to let her cry a little when she wakes up. The tears help.

Both of my children - my son, who is now three, and my daugther, who is now nine months - had the same exact thing. We had taken my son down to a specialist at the Los Angeles Children's Hospital regarding the clogged tear duct. That was exactly what it was. The specialist said that there was no "massaging" about it. She told us to press firmly right in the corner of the baby's eye every time we changed his diaper and every time we fed him. She said to press as hard as the baby would allow you to right where that "ball" is in the corner of the eye. She explained that the clog is usually along the nose. When you press hard, it forces pressure through the duct, and it will eventually clear it out and open it up. She said that it's all connected. That's why when we cry, our nose runs. Needless to say, my son's duct was clear in one month's time. We did the same thing with my daughter, but it took a little bit more time with her to clear. Just as a precaution, her pediatrician gave her some ointment just to make sure that it wasn't infected. I hope that this helps you out because I know how frustrating all of this can be. Take care and good luck!!

take her to the doctor to be seen....

one of my daughters was treated for a long time with no results from he meds - then we discovered through a pediatric opthomologist she had a disorder and we need to wash her eyes with baby shampoo every night.

one of my sons had this and it's caused by allergies - one week of antibiotics does the trick

wow you peditirician sounds scary? My son has had that twice and it was conjunctivites. I had to put erythamicien ointment in his eyes three times a day for a week. Get another pedatrician. Im surprised they wouldn't have you bring in your child if it's not clearing up?

this doesn't sound right. i was just looking up info on pink eye because my daughter has it right now and it said to see your doctor if the discharge is yellow or green. my pediatrician has given my kids eyedrops in the past to fight the infection. you also should be using warm compresses if you can get the baby to tolerate it. putting breast milk on her eye just doesn't seem sanitary to me. if there is any breast milk sitting stagnant behind the eyelid or in a duct, wouldn't that be making it a better reservoir for bacteria?

I would take her to a different pediatrician who cares.

Our son had this same problem. Many trips to the pediatrician with no resolve. We saw a midwife who recommended a strange (but extremely effective) therapy of holding the baby upside down by the ankles and counting to 60. Obviously hold your baby over a bed to be safe. Do this inversion twice a day for three days. We did this after trying antibiotics, breast milk, massaging etc. Our son's eye did this for four months before we tried this old remedy. It worked after the first day. The discharge was at least 50% better and after the second day it was gone and has been gone. The idea behind this treatment is the thought that the cervical vertebrea are out of allignment, this does not allow the tear duct to drain properly resulting in a back up.
Good luck. I hope you try it and get good results.
K.

The same thing happened with my daughter and it did clear up. Keep massaging it and cleaning it with a damp cloth. It looks disgusting but it will go away. If it doesn't then they say they will have to open up the duct, but it should open up.

my daughter had the same problem. her right eye seemed to ooze a bit all of the time, and then both eyes oozed a lot whenever she was sick. i did the massage with a warm washcloth whenever i bathed her (used a fresh cloth each time), and it cleared up around one year. it was kind of gross (especially when she'd wake up with her eyes glued shut), but i'd just gently clean with a warm washcloth, and it wasn't so bad. don't worry about it too much now, it's pretty normal.

My son had that same problem with his tear duct being clogged or not open yet in one eye. I alway took a warm washcloth and cleaned it and then washed my hands and massaged it. His peditrician said to massage it like three to four times a day and he would grow outta it. I've never heard of putting breast milk in. You could try not putting breast milk in it and just massaging it and see how it goes. My son still has problems with it today and he is 14 months old but it is usually only when he is sick or when his allergys start acting up.

My son had the same thing in his left eye when he was a few weeks old, and I got the same response from my pediatrician and from my friend who is a nurse practitioner. They just told me to do the massaging and the breast milk thing. However, I felt like it was getting worse (sometimes he would wake up and his eye would be a little crusted closed). I asked my pediatrician if there were any drops or anything I could use in his eye to help, and he prescribed "Erythromycin Ophtalmic Ointment USP, 0.5%". It was completely cleared up in 3 days (had to continue the tx for 2 more days as directed), and he has never had a problem since. He is now 6 months old. If this sounds like the same thing as yuour child's issue, I would ask to have the ointment prescribed.

HI K.,
I had the same thing happen to my son when he was brand new. Just like the doctor said you have to massage the area with your pinky between her tear duct and just to the side of the bridge of her nose...on both sides. As he got older it did get better, and is now completely gone. It seemed like it took maybe 3 months at the most for it to go away. I was pretty consistent with massaging the area since the alternative was to stick a tube or a needle down the tear duct canal to unblock it!!! I didn't want any needles near my baby's eyes!
Good Luck!

It sounds like it could be conjunctivitis (pink eye). It's been going around lately and it doesn't actually always include really red eyes. My DS had it where his eyes were pretty much normal, but just the inside of his eyelid was red rather than pink.

If it were me, I'd want to be seen just to be sure.

My daughter has had eye discharge several times during her life (she's 15 mos :)) and I just hold a warm wet washcloth over the eye for as long as she'll let me, it helps to pull out the stuff and usually it is gone in a few days. Wipe the stuff away from the inside of the eye to the outside, and always use a clean cloth when you do (don't use the same part of it over and over).
Hope that helps!!
A.

Hi K. (I love that name by the way.)

My daughter had a blocked tear duct as well, until she was about 7 or 8 months old. It would tear and drain yellow discharge off and on throughout her first months of life. If she was congested, it got much worse.
I've never heard that putting anything in the eye would be helpful. I can't imagine why breastmilk with it's high sugar content would be good for that, but I'm a nurse, not a doctor. :)
I was told to massage the tear duct from the corner of the eye, with some pressure, down the side of the nose. When I did this, it seemed to help some. I also always kept it clean with a washcloth. Take great care, as I'm sure you do, not to touch the eye with the same part of the washcloth more than once, in case there is any bacteria in the discharge, this will prevent it from spreading.
If the white of the eye seems even a bit pink, I would take her in. Once I saw a pediatrician when my girl's discharge changed and her eye became a little pink, we received antibiotics and the problem never came back again.

Hang in there and good luck!

S. J.

Hi K.,

My son and grandson both had this problem and the pedi said the same thing. Turned out it did clear up on its own, in both cases. Seems like the doctor wanted to check it out the first time just to make sure. All is well now for both boys.

L.

My daughter had the same thing happen. I did use some breast milk (this helped a LOT!!) but also used a warm washcloth as a compress while nursing. FYI: breastmilk has curative properties that go beyond blocked ducts in infants. I used it on a fungal infection to great success.
The blocked ducts do go away but you have to be patient. My understanding is that it is great to stick with this method for as long as possible because you probably want to avoid using more invasive tools to clear it up (even if it would go faster). Steroids in infants are not always a great thing!

I remember this happened to me as well with my daughter after a few days too. The discharge just kept coming out and I was told to use my breastmilk with a dropper and clean out her eyes several times a day. I didn't see much improvement until maybe 3 days of doing this. After about a week her eyes went back to looking normal. I do remember how scary it was and not knowing for sure if the breastmilk was okay for her eys. Then I discovered that breastmilk is wonderful for many other things...such as acne! Anyways, hang in there, it'll probably look a little worse before looking better.