eye infection?

my son is 11 weeks old and since yesterday morning his right eye has been all crusty and goopy. his eye lashes are all stuck together with crust and there is goopy stuff all around his eye. I have been cleaning it with a warm wash cloth and water but it just keeps coming back. is this normal, or could it be an eye infection? my mom thinks he has allergies, and my sister thinks it's because he's cutting teeth. what could be some reasons it's doing this? TIA.

Is the eyeball red? If not it's likely just a plugged tear duct. Not really anything to be done about them unless it didn't resolve by a year. Just massage it with a warm wet cloth like you have been. If it's red or swollen I'd take him to the pedi.

it's not swollen or red. it just came on so suddenly, and kinda bad, that I just got worried. if it were a little I wouldn't been, but there was just so much crust I didn't know what to do lol.

This happened with both of my babies. The doctor said that it had to do with their tear ducts not being opened all the way yet.

What you have to do is keep it clean like you already are, and use your index finger to massage the corner of the eye where the tear ducts are (the corner by the nose) in a circular motion, towards the nose.. (gently, obviously, but you apply a slight pressure).. this helps the tear ducts open. (Do it frequently, like every time you feed, or every time you notice the gunk and clean it off). My kids were six years apart and had two different doctors and BOTH told me to do this.

Now for the weird part.. With my first child, I wasn't nursing, so when his got infected and gunky, the doctor gave me eye drops to clear it up, and that worked nicely (so they can give you something if you need it).

With my second child I was nursing, and my Gramma told me that if I put breast milk in the corner of her eye, it would clear it up.. I thought she was nuts, so I asked my doctor.. and sure enough... that's what the doctor said too..

So I tried it, and it cleared up within a few hours.. like quit building up more... and every time I saw the gunk building up (every few days), I would do it again.. it never bothered her at all (I would have thought it would hurt or irritate her, but she didn't even notice) and it worked like magic because breast milk has good stuff in it that helps immunity and stuff, I guess. lol.

So that's everything I know about baby eye gunk and what to do about it. Good luck.   (if you think I'm crazy about the milk in the eye thing, Google it or ask your doctor, lol... I thought it was crazy myself.. but it worked fast).

Quoting johnna.diane:" This happened with both of my babies. The doctor said that it had to do with their tear ducts not being ... [snip!] ... about the milk in the eye thing, Google it or ask your doctor, lol... I thought it was crazy myself.. but it worked fast)."

I guess breast milk can work for everything! I was told to put it on his acne. so the milk doesn't bother their eye? it would bother mine...

Quoting katie b  :" I guess breast milk can work for everything! I was told to put it on his acne. so the milk doesn't bother their eye? it would bother mine..."

Not at all.. I was surprised.. Occasionally, she would startle when the milk touched her, but she wouldn't cry, wouldn't try to get away, and the startle was just like a brief reaction to the touch... her eye could be wide open, and I could squirt milk right into it (the corner) and she wouldn't even blink. Maybe its because their so little their reflexes haven't caught up to them yet? I don't know, but it never made her cry or act annoyed or anything.

Breastmilk cleared it up for my daughter too. Amazing stuff. =]

I'll have to do it next time she nurses  

just thought I would say that his eye cleared up after the first time of putting breatmilk in it   thank you so much, both of you!

Yay! Hope it stays gone! =]

Quoting Shinyemee:" Yay! Hope it stays gone! =]"

It probably won't, but at least you know that the cure is in you. lol. Don't forget to gently massage the tear ducts in a circular motion towards the nose. That will help them open so that the gunk won't build up anymore.