Anyone have an infant with one eye that pulls inward?

[lulu72]

Hi Guys,

I have a 6 month old baby boy. One of his eyes occasionally appears to be pulling inward. He had his 6 mo baby wellness check up today and the doctor didn't seem to be alarmed but is referring him to a specialist to get it checked out. My doctor said his own son had the same thing and had surgery at 2 years old and is doing fine now.

It does not appear to be "Lazy Eye" because both eyes work together, but more like the muscles behind one eye are not as strong.

Does anyone have experience with this with your own child? What was your experience with treatment etc?

Thanks
Lori

[chefkate]

i used to work for a chiropractor and saw this several times. it can be from his neck being out of alignment (childbirth can be rough on the little ones!). my first stop would be to the chiro. a couple visits (sometimes even 1) can fix this, if it is in fact the cause.

good luck!

[lulu72]

Hi Kate,

Wow, I would have never thought of neck alignment causing this problem. Did you see this often in infants? I am not yet too concerned, but it does break a Mommy's heart to worry her baby may have problems with his eyes. To hear my doctor say his son had to have surgery at 2 years old was kind of scary. Hopefully it is something that will not be as serious. Aaaahhh, the beginning of all the worrying as a new Mommy.

Thanks!

[saia11]

Lori,

I actually had the same issue when I was an baby and my mom said it cleared up on its own through no particular effort of hers (per the doctor's advice). So it may just need a wait and see. Having said that, I would second Kate's advice to check out a chiro with lots of experience dealing with infants. We had one visit our La Leche League meeting one time and she was great!

Mattea

[EricaH]

Two of my four children had strabismus which I think is what you are talking about. Their problems resolved on their own with no need for a patch or surgery. I nursed them and the opthamologist felt that nursing provided a natural patch for them because one side was always blocked in the breastfeeding position. I don't know if that was a coincidence or not, but we were relieved that they didn't need the surgery.

I had it as a baby, too, and did not need surgery.

Good luck!

Erica

[chefkate]

Originally Posted by lulu72

Hi Kate,

Wow, I would have never thought of neck alignment causing this problem. Did you see this often in infants? I am not yet too concerned, but it does break a Mommy's heart to worry her baby may have problems with his eyes. To hear my doctor say his son had to have surgery at 2 years old was kind of scary. Hopefully it is something that will not be as serious. Aaaahhh, the beginning of all the worrying as a new Mommy.

Thanks!

IIRC......The neck alignment would cause the problem because IF the neck is out of alignment (your cervical vertebrae) then that effects (affects?) blood flow to the head, which oddly enough can make the eyes cross.
I wouldn't say this was super common.....I saw it a few times over the years. And I agree, you hate to see any affliction come to your babe, especially at the face. Hoping this resolves itself for your little one!