strabismus in infants

My 4.5 month old baby girl has one eye that tends to turn in. I have noticed it more recently and we have a ped ophthalmologist apt today. Many, many babies are born with a bit of strabismus but it usually lessens as they reach 4-6 months.

I am wondering what to expect? This is genetic I am sure, I had something similar as a child and wore glasses from 2.5-12 (now with perfect vision and no strabismus).

Her eye does not "squint" all the time, usually when she tries to focus on something closer to her face - for instance, when she is laying in my left arm and I am feeding her, her left eye turns in to look at me.

If your child had the same diagnosis, what was the treatment? glasses? patch? surgery?

Re: strabismus in infants

hey hon...it's definitely normal in infants. there's a good chance she'll just grow out of it.

Ian got checked out at 10 months because his eye was turning in AND i could tell he was having a hard time focusing...mommy's instinct. I took him to 3 eye doctors and they all said he was farsighted in one eye. if he were farsighted in both eyes they would have left it alone to grow out of it...but because it's one, the brain tells the bad eye to stop focusing once the good eye is in focus...and he would have had a lazy eye.

He started glasses at 11 months and his vision was 20/300. Now he's almost 4 () and i patch the bad eye 5 days a week for most of the day and he's at 20/30. His vision has improved tremendously but the strengthen is still not great. if i take off his glasses his eye will still turn.

The doctor said it's still normal at this age since he's still developing his muscles. I think by the time he's 5-6 we'll discuss whether he needs surgery to strengthen the eye. I hope not!

Hope that helps...let me know if you have any questions! And the earlier you treat this the better! the doctor said if i didn't come in when I did he would have needed surgery immediately when he was older.

Message edited 6/11/2013 8:56:43 AM.

Re: strabismus in infants

I just brought my 11 mo in for this. He was a preemie so the ped thought there was a chance it was just prolonged pseudo strabismus but its the real deal :). For his issue, we patch the good eye about 8 hours a day to force him to use the weaker one. The doc said 90 percent chance he would also need surgery. Patching has been a snap. He doesn't try to remove it, and, more shockingly, neither do his triplet brothers! Good Luck. We see barry pinchoff in great neck who is very nice.

Re: strabismus in infants

Thanks D!! Its gotten much worse, not any better. At her 4 month apt, ped said to wait until 6 months (watch and wait).

I took her last week (4.5 months) for a sick visit and a different ped brought it up - I didn't even mention it. I guess he saw her eye turn. He said we should bring her in to be checked right away. The sooner she is seen, the better.

How did they diagnose it? Did they patch right away or prescribe glasses? It is genetic so I don't see it getting better without intervention since I had the same exact thing as a child but I didn't get glasses until 2.5.

Which ophthalmologist do you see? Made an apt with Dr. Benjamin as I saw that practice as a child.

I'm not all that worried as I have been through it and as it turns out I am not the only one out of 7 in my family with perfect vision. I just want to start the process of correction ASAP.

Re: strabismus in infants

Re: strabismus in infants

Posted by maymama

Thanks D!! Its gotten much worse, not any better. At her 4 month apt, ped said to wait until 6 months (watch and wait).

I took her last week (4.5 months) for a sick visit and a different ped brought it up - I didn't even mention it. I guess he saw her eye turn. He said we should bring her in to be checked right away. The sooner she is seen, the better.

How did they diagnose it? Did they patch right away or prescribe glasses? It is genetic so I don't see it getting better without intervention since I had the same exact thing as a child but I didn't get glasses until 2.5.

Which ophthalmologist do you see? Made an apt with Dr. Benjamin as I saw that practice as a child.

I'm not all that worried as I have been through it and as it turns out I am not the only one out of 7 in my family with perfect vision. I just want to start the process of correction ASAP.

Re: strabismus in infants

Posted by IansMommy23

Posted by maymama

Thanks D!! Its gotten much worse, not any better. At her 4 month apt, ped said to wait until 6 months (watch and wait).

I took her last week (4.5 months) for a sick visit and a different ped brought it up - I didn't even mention it. I guess he saw her eye turn. He said we should bring her in to be checked right away. The sooner she is seen, the better.

How did they diagnose it? Did they patch right away or prescribe glasses? It is genetic so I don't see it getting better without intervention since I had the same exact thing as a child but I didn't get glasses until 2.5.

Which ophthalmologist do you see? Made an apt with Dr. Benjamin as I saw that practice as a child.

I'm not all that worried as I have been through it and as it turns out I am not the only one out of 7 in my family with perfect vision. I just want to start the process of correction ASAP.

Ian wore glasses for 2 years before we started patching. They dilate the eyes and then put a lens over the eye. They put a light through the lens to see how the eye reacts to the light. The drops are the worse part. Ian still hates that. But what can you do?

I go to Dr. Levi in Plainview. Absolutely love her. First I went to Pinchoff and then Benjamin. I personally did not like either of them. Levi was the last one I went to and she had the best personality and gave the same diagnosis as the other 2. I felt the other doctors were very cold.

Re: strabismus in infants

Posted by maymama

Posted by IansMommy23

Posted by maymama

Thanks D!! Its gotten much worse, not any better. At her 4 month apt, ped said to wait until 6 months (watch and wait).

I took her last week (4.5 months) for a sick visit and a different ped brought it up - I didn't even mention it. I guess he saw her eye turn. He said we should bring her in to be checked right away. The sooner she is seen, the better.

How did they diagnose it? Did they patch right away or prescribe glasses? It is genetic so I don't see it getting better without intervention since I had the same exact thing as a child but I didn't get glasses until 2.5.

Which ophthalmologist do you see? Made an apt with Dr. Benjamin as I saw that practice as a child.

I'm not all that worried as I have been through it and as it turns out I am not the only one out of 7 in my family with perfect vision. I just want to start the process of correction ASAP.

Ian wore glasses for 2 years before we started patching. They dilate the eyes and then put a lens over the eye. They put a light through the lens to see how the eye reacts to the light. The drops are the worse part. Ian still hates that. But what can you do?

I go to Dr. Levi in Plainview. Absolutely love her. First I went to Pinchoff and then Benjamin. I personally did not like either of them. Levi was the last one I went to and she had the best personality and gave the same diagnosis as the other 2. I felt the other doctors were very cold.

Thanks D! I'll let you know how it goes with Benjamin.