Eyes constantly produce tears to keep them moisturized. The tears are produced in the upper, outer corner of the eye, wash across the eye and collect in the inner, lower corner of the eye. They go into a small tube called the tear duct and drain into the nose to be absorbed. If you look closely at the lower eyelid in the inner corner of the eye, you can see the tiny opening of this tube.
In the first few months of life, an infant can develop excessive tearing in one or both eyes. This is commonly the result of blockage of the tear duct. This causes the tears to collect in the eye and run down the infant’s face. This blockage can often be relieved by the parent, using the pad of their fingertip to do a massage of the area between the inner corner of the eye and the nose. The massage should start just inside where the parent sees the opening of the tear duct and go down to the nose at about a 45-degree angle. The massage should be firm but gentle. Absolutely no pressure should be put on the eye – only the area between the eye and the nose where there is nothing but skin, muscle and bone.
With a blocked tear duct, the drainage from the eye should be clear tears. If the drainage from the eye is cloudy or looks like pus, the infant should be seen by his caregiver. If the white of the eye becomes red or bloodshot or the eyelids become swollen, the infant should also be seen. Finally, excessive tearing can be a sign of glaucoma. If the tearing continues even with massage, if the child squints in light or if the eye seems to be enlarging, the infant needs to be examined by an eye doctor.
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