Eye discharge - tear duct or herpes?

Isn't there a difference between eye discharge that's from a tear duct problem and discharge that's from other eye problems or herpes infection? If it's the tear duct, would there only be discharge in the corner of the eye, opposed to the whole eye?

One of my cat's was thought to have a tear duct problem which was diagnosed by three vets. But now I'm not so sure if that's right. He has a clearish to rust colored eye discharge from the corner of his eye everyday. His sister had the same color discharge but it was from her whole eye, not just the corner. Hers was a bacterial infection that was cleared up by Clavamox. Neo-Poly-Dex drops did nothing for both of them.

a tear duct problem can manifest as tearing from the whole eye, not just one side.

has he been evaluated for allergies? is he one of the shorter nose breeds, which tear more? if it is herpes, feline lysine gel or powder can help with symptoms by interfering with viral replication

Your vet can perform a very simple inexpensive test to determine if this is the herpes virus.

My Ootay (rb 5/09) had a blocked tearduct most of her life. It would present with clear tears for a few days and then either clear up or go into secondary infection which would require antibiotics (oral, as she could not tolerate things in her eyes) When she was older, (13) she seemed to shake the problem off and it never came back until she was 18 and in failing health.

Tolly has herpes eyes, he was properly diagnosed with a swab test, but the vet I was using then messed around so much he very nearly lost his eyes. His eyes looked like "worst case" pictures you see on websites.

I took him to Cornell University Companion Animal Hospital where he saw a veterinary ophthalmologist, and was treated, diagnosed and put on l-lysine for life.

L-lysine doesn't cure the virus, but controls it. L-lysine helps strengthen the immune system too, and is often prescribed for cats with other persistent UR problems, too.