Ask Our Expert - Getting Care for a Cross-Eyed Infant

September 07, 2008

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Specializing in pediatric infectious diseases and childhood immunizations.


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Ask Dr. Cates Getting Care for a Cross-Eyed Infant

QUESTION


Dear Dr. Cates, My daughter is six months old and I have noticed that her left eye looks crossed. Do you think I should worry about this or wait until her next doctor's visit at nine months? — Ivette in Metairie, Louisiana

ANSWER	November 8, 2000


Dear Ivette, You are a very observant mother. Because the bridge of the nose tends to be broad in infants, some babies with normal alignment of their eyes look as if they have crossed eyes. However, since you have noticed that one eye in particular looks crossed, that may well be the case. The condition of having a crossed eye is known as strabismus, and it's one of the most common eye problems we see in young children. It is important that this condition be diagnosed early because children with strabismus do not use both eyes equally and vision may not develop normally in one eye. For that reason, you should contact your healthcare provider to have your daughter seen before her next regularly scheduled visit. If strabismus is diagnosed, a treatment plan can be devised to help her vision develop normally. — by Lynn Cates, M.D., F.A.A.P.

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