one yellow gunky eye

The last 2 days DS has developed a yellow gunky right eye, just the right one and nothing in the left at all. DH noticed it starting yesterday and it was certainly very noticeable today. Yesterday it was more of a white gunk, a bit like sleep in the corner of the eye. Today it was definitely a yellow colour, ranging from a pale yellow to a dark yellow depending on how long it's been on his eye in the corner of his eye and along the most of the lower lid (that's where it seems to stick mostly). It can be quite watery when it's coming out of the corner of his eye (a bit like a tear) but sticky/thick in the corner and along the rest of the eye.

DS is breastfed and is our first child so we have no idea if we should be panicking :lol:.
I have my first MCHN check up on Tuesday morning. I don't know if DS's eye can wait til then or not. I will be talking to her about it at least. I don't want to panic unless it's warranted :p so don't really feel like ringing the parenting 24hr hotline (I forget what it's called here in SA - the numbers on DS's blue book that's all I remember) unless I really need to. It doesn't seem to bother DS much, just takes that eye a little longer to open when waking.

We have tried wiping the gunk away with a little water on a cotton ball and with a tissue. I have also tried wiping it with a little breastmilk as well and a little massage upwards on the right side of his nose near the eye (I read a few of the previous gunky eye threads in here for those suggestions). It clears it for a little while but by the time he wakes up next time, it's back, sometimes sooner if he's feeding and I cleaned his eye at the beginning of the feed. DH was thinking it was conjunctivitis but I don't think it would be as we've not had contact with anyone who has it and neither of us have it atm and the eye does open, just a little slower than the left one.

It sounds conjunctivitis-y to me - my daughter had this happen a few weeks ago. It isn't necessarily caused by germs from other people, either - apparently in babies the tear ducts can be blocked quite easily, which can mean watery eyes and discharge like you describe.

We were advised by the lady we spoke to on the Maternal/Child Health telephone line to do frequent saline washes of the eyes (usually when one eye is affected, the other soon follows) using separate cotton balls and separate hands for each eye, and wiping from inner eye to outer. We were told to monitor our daughter for other symptoms (temperature), and if the discharge got worse, stayed the same, or turned more of a green colour after a day to go to a doctor as soon as possible.

Well, being new parents we decided to go to a doctor anyway as the yellow discharge in her eye began to turn a pale avocado colour after a few hours. We ended up with antibiotic eye drops as the doctor pronounced it an infection, and we found that after the first dose it cleared up. I'm not sure whether this is always the case, but the doctor we saw (not our regular GP) also said that it can get really painful for little babies - if I were you, I would act on this sooner rather than later, unless you've noticed an improvement by now? Apparently it's quite common, but can be quite uncomfortable for little ones. Good luck! I hope your little baby's eye improves soon!

With the breastmilk, I would put a drop in the eye every 2-3 hours. It will wash out gunk and leave a thin layer of protection around the eye globe. With both my girls it has cleared up conjunctivitis without needing antibiotics.

Go to the doctor and get it checked. Conjunctivitis can become serious if you don't get it under control.

I wish it had occurred to me to try breastmilk before the drops - what a great idea!

DS2 had this, we alternated b/m and cooled boiled water, it would clear up for a day or so then come back again. after the second week we went and got chlorsig drops and it was fine after 2 days and has not come back.

thanks for the advice

Will try putting a drop of EBM on 2-3 hrly (when he feeds) overnight and ring the 24 hr helpline in the morning if it hasn't changed. DH doesn't think it's that urgent. Then will have to decide which dr to go to if needed - my GP is on the other side of Adelaide & DH thinks we don't need to go there but I haven't got an idea of what the GPs on this side of town/near us are like. (& DH doesn't have a GP)
At the rate DS is going, drop will be going on every 1-2 hrs - feeding often this evening (inc now :rolleyes: when he fed just over 1 hr ago)

Poppy has had this too.

if you put breast milk in it as often as possible is best I have found, but keep doing it regulary for a couple of days after it appears to be better.

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DS2 had this, we alternated b/m and cooled boiled water, it would clear up for a day or so then come back again. after the second week we went and got chlorsig drops and it was fine after 2 days and has not come back.

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We did the same but DS was alergic to Chlorsig... so I would give the BM and saline a good go first...

update - DS's eye is better this morning - not quite gone but much better than it was yesterday. Have been wiping with BM and cooled boiled water alternating each feed. Haven't yet rung the hotline, it seems to have settled mostly, if it gets worse later today, I'll ring and then work out what we're going to do.