Eye Health in Babies

A baby whose eyes look healthy from the outside should have a first routine eye examination at 4–6 weeks of age. From time to time, check your baby’s sight by covering each eye in turn. If there is a problem in one eye, your baby will cry and try to push your hand away when you cover the seeing eye, but will not react when you cover the other one.

In the following situations, take your baby to an eye doctor without waiting until the age of one.

Problem 1. Sticky discharge and redness of the eye

Possible diagnosis: Bacterial conjunctivitis. This is very common in babies, especially together with upper respiratory tract infections. It clears within 1 week to 10 days with treatment.

Treatment: Antibiotic drops, gels and ointments

Problem 2. Constant watering of the eye

Possible diagnosis: A blocked tear duct. This is common under the age of one.

Treatment: Massage beside the bridge of the nose. If the blockage does not open by itself with massage in the first year, the opening of the duct is cleared under anaesthesia with a technique called “probing”.

Problem 3. An eye turning inwards or outwards

Possible diagnosis: This may be a true squint (strabismus) or a false one. Because the bridge of the nose is flat in babies, there may be a fold of skin at the inner corners of the eyelids; the impression of a squint created by this appearance is called “pseudostrabismus”.

Solution: If there is a squint, it is treated with glasses and/or surgery. Pseudostrabismus disappears by itself as the bridge of the nose rises with age.

Problem 4. Itching and discharge from the eyes

Possible diagnosis: Allergic conjunctivitis

Solution: Anti-allergic drops

Problem 5. Not following objects or not reacting to familiar faces

Possible diagnosis: A congenital cataract (loss of transparency of the eye’s lens) or a problem of the retina (the nerve layer of the eye) that blocks vision

Solution: Cataract is treated surgically. Retinal problems sometimes require surgery; unfortunately, they sometimes cannot be treated.

Problem 6. A white appearance in the pupil

Possible diagnosis: A congenital cataract or retinal problems that block vision

Solution: Surgery for cataract; follow-up or surgical treatment for retinal problems

Problem 7. A drooping eyelid

Possible diagnosis: Congenital ptosis (a drooping eyelid)

Solution: Surgical lifting of the upper eyelid

Problem 8. Shaking movements of the eyes

Possible diagnosis: Involuntary, rhythmic eye movements called nystagmus. There are various types and causes of nystagmus.

Solution: Treatment of nystagmus is planned according to its type and cause. Glasses, prism glasses and surgery are used.

Problem 9. Swelling of the eyelids

Possible diagnosis: Dermoid cyst, haemangioma and other eyelid masses

Solution: Depending on the type of mass, sometimes only follow-up, sometimes injection of various substances into the mass, and sometimes surgical removal