Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsNewborn EyesIn Older BabiesCausesTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Newborn Eyes
In Older Babies
Causes
Treatment
Crossed eyes in babies older than 4 months, however, may indicate an eye condition known asstrabismus. This occurs when the eye muscles don’t coordinate eye movements correctly. If caught early, it may be corrected with glasses or therapy, although sometimes surgery is needed.
This article explains why most newborns have crossed eyes from time to time. It also explains when to talk to your pediatrician about your newborn’s vision and how crossed eyes are treated.
Newborns and Crossed Eyes
There are several reasons the appearance of crossed eyes occurs with new babies. One is that sometimes babies are born with extra skin folds in the inner corners of their eyes, giving them the appearance of crossed eyes. However, as these babies grow, these folds start to disappear.
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Another reason a newborn infant’s eyes appear crossed from time to time is due to a lack of development at this stage. Therefore, it is common for a newborn’s eyes to move independently of each other.
Older Babies and Crossed Eyes
Symptoms to watch for include:
Early detection of strabismus or other eye disorders is vital for preserving a child’s future vision. Aneye doctorcan perform several tests on babies and young children to determine if treatment is needed.
If your child has strabismus and does not receive proper treatment, their brain could start to ignore the messages sent from one of their eyes. Over time, the neglected eye may become lazy and result in vision loss if left untreated.
This visual condition is known asamblyopiaor “lazy eye.” In addition to developing amblyopia, depth perception could also be affected.
Overview of Amblyopia, or Lazy Eye
Strabismus sometimes runs in families. But it can also show up in children with no family history. When genetics don’t play a role, it’s more likely a doctor will diagnose a significant vision problem.
Some children are more at risk of developing strabismus, including:
Doctors can often correct strabismus with glasses. This treatment is usually successful if caught early in a child’s life.
However, sometimes wearing glasses is not enough to correct strabismus, and treatment may includesurgical correction. Eye doctors will operate on the eye muscles, maneuvering them to pull the eyes into the correct position.
Summary
A Word From VerywellIf a newborn appears crossed-eyed, it’s important to get an evaluation as soon as possible. Getting a diagnosis and treatment, particularly before they reach seven to eight years of age, is essential to reduce the risk of lazy eye.—ANDREW GREENBERG, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
If a newborn appears crossed-eyed, it’s important to get an evaluation as soon as possible. Getting a diagnosis and treatment, particularly before they reach seven to eight years of age, is essential to reduce the risk of lazy eye.—ANDREW GREENBERG, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
If a newborn appears crossed-eyed, it’s important to get an evaluation as soon as possible. Getting a diagnosis and treatment, particularly before they reach seven to eight years of age, is essential to reduce the risk of lazy eye.
—ANDREW GREENBERG, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Wan MJ, Vanderveen DK.Eye disorders in newborn infants (excluding retinopathy of prematurity).Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition. 2014;100(3). doi:10.1136/archdischild-2014-306215Ye XC, Pegado V, Patel MS, Wasserman WW.Strabismus genetics across a spectrum of eye misalignment disorders.Clin Genet. 2014;86(2):103–111. doi:10.1111/cge.12367Smith EL 3rd, Hung LF, Arumugam B, Wensveen JM, Chino YM, Harwerth RS.Observations on the relationship between anisometropia, amblyopia and strabismus.Vision Res. 2017;134:26-42. doi:10.1016/j.visres.2017.03.004Sharma P, Gaur N, Phuljhele S, Saxena R.What’s new for us in strabismus?Indian J Ophthalmol. 2017;65(3):184-190. doi:10.4103/ijo.IJO_867_16
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Wan MJ, Vanderveen DK.Eye disorders in newborn infants (excluding retinopathy of prematurity).Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition. 2014;100(3). doi:10.1136/archdischild-2014-306215Ye XC, Pegado V, Patel MS, Wasserman WW.Strabismus genetics across a spectrum of eye misalignment disorders.Clin Genet. 2014;86(2):103–111. doi:10.1111/cge.12367Smith EL 3rd, Hung LF, Arumugam B, Wensveen JM, Chino YM, Harwerth RS.Observations on the relationship between anisometropia, amblyopia and strabismus.Vision Res. 2017;134:26-42. doi:10.1016/j.visres.2017.03.004Sharma P, Gaur N, Phuljhele S, Saxena R.What’s new for us in strabismus?Indian J Ophthalmol. 2017;65(3):184-190. doi:10.4103/ijo.IJO_867_16
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Wan MJ, Vanderveen DK.Eye disorders in newborn infants (excluding retinopathy of prematurity).Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition. 2014;100(3). doi:10.1136/archdischild-2014-306215Ye XC, Pegado V, Patel MS, Wasserman WW.Strabismus genetics across a spectrum of eye misalignment disorders.Clin Genet. 2014;86(2):103–111. doi:10.1111/cge.12367Smith EL 3rd, Hung LF, Arumugam B, Wensveen JM, Chino YM, Harwerth RS.Observations on the relationship between anisometropia, amblyopia and strabismus.Vision Res. 2017;134:26-42. doi:10.1016/j.visres.2017.03.004Sharma P, Gaur N, Phuljhele S, Saxena R.What’s new for us in strabismus?Indian J Ophthalmol. 2017;65(3):184-190. doi:10.4103/ijo.IJO_867_16
Wan MJ, Vanderveen DK.Eye disorders in newborn infants (excluding retinopathy of prematurity).Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition. 2014;100(3). doi:10.1136/archdischild-2014-306215
Ye XC, Pegado V, Patel MS, Wasserman WW.Strabismus genetics across a spectrum of eye misalignment disorders.Clin Genet. 2014;86(2):103–111. doi:10.1111/cge.12367
Smith EL 3rd, Hung LF, Arumugam B, Wensveen JM, Chino YM, Harwerth RS.Observations on the relationship between anisometropia, amblyopia and strabismus.Vision Res. 2017;134:26-42. doi:10.1016/j.visres.2017.03.004
Sharma P, Gaur N, Phuljhele S, Saxena R.What’s new for us in strabismus?Indian J Ophthalmol. 2017;65(3):184-190. doi:10.4103/ijo.IJO_867_16
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