01/16/2026
Got gunky eyes? A blocked tear duct causes discharge and pooling of tears in your baby’s eye.
This is commonly due to lacrimal duct stenosis, when the tiny passage from your baby’s eye to the inner nose is a bit too narrow. This causes a blockage of tear drainage in one or both eyes. Roughly 5% of babies have it!
Symptoms may not show up for weeks or months after birth since this is when a baby really starts producing tears. 💦 The most common symptoms are pooling of tears in the inner eye, tears draining down the eyelid and cheek, and mucus-like discharge of the eye.
A blocked tear duct is generally painless with no associated redness of the eyeball itself. Parents commonly express concern for pink eye – but with pink eye (conjunctivitis), the whites of the eyes typically turn bright pink.
Make sure to be on the lookout for any of these red flag signs: enlargement of the eyeball, sensitivity to light, excessive eye rubbing/pain, or notable swelling/redness of the eyeball or surrounding skin. Call your doctor if you detect these signs. 🚩
Fortunately, blocked tear ducts typically resolve all on their own by about 1 year of age. In the meantime, you can try gentle tear duct massage. Using clean hands or a Q-tip, apply downward pressure strokes to the area along the side of the nose starting near the inner corner of the eye. 👁 Try doing 5 short downward strokes at a time, roughly 3-4 times per day. The goal is to force fluid through the blocked end of the tear duct located inside the child’s nose. It’s okay if you push some extra gunk back out of the tear duct into the eye – just gently wipe it away with a soft washcloth or cotton ball.
Your doctor may prescribe antibiotic drops if the discharge gets really bad, but symptoms usually come back once the drops are discontinued, so it’s not all that helpful. 👎 There are surgical treatment options for children who do not outgrow duct obstructions by 1+ year of age (such as probing or stent placement).
📸 Holly Graciano Photography
