Sometimes when I look at my baby she seems to be cross eyed. Should I go to the doctor?

Some babies have little folds of skin in the corners of their eyes which can give them the appearance of crossed eyes. As they grow these folds tend to diminish and the cross eyed look vanishes. In addition many babies are born with eye muscles which are not quite strong enough to keep their eyes straight all the time. You may notice that your baby’s eyes look fine most of the time, and then they become squint when she is tired. This is a common problem that tends to correct itself as the baby’s eye muscles mature and become stronger.

Some babies have a slight coordination problem and struggle to operate their eyes in unison. Usually if the problem is caused by coordination, the baby will gain enough control by three months old to overcome the problem.

However if your baby has eyes that are crossed all or most of the time, or if one eye does not seem to be very active at all, then you should definitely contact your doctor. Some children have what used to be called a ‘lazy eye’ and if the eye does not work it may start to lose its muscle tone, creating a vicious circle.

True problems with squint eyes are very rare. However, you should mention any of these concerns to your doctor at your next appointment, in order to ensure that all is well!

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