Blocked Tear Duct (Lacrimal Duct Obstruction) About 20% of babies suffer from some degree of blocked tear ducts resulting in watering and sticky eyes - mostly resolving by age 1 year. Retained moulding through the facial bones can be responsible - you may notice that your baby's face is not quite the same shape on both sides, or that one eye looks slightly larger or smaller than the other. Your Osteopath will gently examine the bones of the face, orbit of the eye and the rest of the skull, looking for any moulding and restrictions. Treatment on a calm or sleeping baby is easier for this condition, so choose your time of day for treatment with care. Your Osteopath can also show you a range of movements you can perform to help with tear duct drainage. Osteopathic treatment is a good start point for this condition as it is less invasive than some other procedures. Advice to Parents: 1. Regularly clean any eye secretions to prevent infection developing - squirting a little breast milk in the eye is an old and effective remedy. 2. You can gently 'milk' the lacrimal sac by applying finger pressure to the area between eye and nose in a downward direction (needs to be done with care). Ask your Osteopath to demonstrate this to you. 3. If your child is old enough to encourage facial expression, include this in play time - making faces and squeezing the eyes shut is a good one!