Be all eyes on your baby’s eyes

Newborn baby brings moments of happiness to the entire family. Everybody at home is pleased at the sight of the baby. It is also important for the parents to look into the child’s eyes carefully as quite a few eye-related problems can be detected by them. If any of these signs are seen, the parents should seek advice from a pediatric ophthalmologist.
Infant’s eyes are smaller than the adults, and it takes the first 3 years of life to reach the adult size. Conjunctival infections are quite common in first 3 weeks of life. They present with redness, watering and discharge. The treatment of neonatal conjunctivitis is antibiotic drops as prescribed by eye specialist.
Another common problem in your baby’s eyes can be recurrent watering and occasional discharge in one or both eyes. It can be due to blockage of the tear (nasolacrimal) duct. It usually presents after 1 month as tear production starts at that age. The initial treatment of this condition is with lacrimal sac massage. If required, probing and syringing is done after 8-9 months. Any delay in the management of this condition may result in a major surgery for tear drainage.
Presence of a central whitish reflex in the pupillary area should be immediately reported to the eye specialist. It can be a congenital cataract which might need early surgical removal. Else it can be a retinal problem which might endanger the baby’s sight. Rarely, it can be a tumor of the retina (retinoblastoma) which can be a danger to the child’s life also.
Glaucoma (kala-motia) is rare, but can present in infants. It presents with frequent watering, sensitivity to light (photophobia) and large size of the central black portion of the eye. It can be sight-threatening as it causes damage to the optic nerve. It needs treatment with drops initially followed by surgical means to lower the eye pressure.
If the central black portion of the eye (cornea) becomes hazy or has white areas, it needs early medical consultation.
Infections can be transmitted to the eye of a baby from the mother during pregnancy. It can be confirmed with TORCH test for both child and the mother. These infections can lead to cataract and retinal abnormalities in the child.
Child can also develop eyelid abnormalities like ptosis or drooping of the upper eyelid and coloboma in which part of the eyelid may be missing. Though not sight-threatening in the initial phase, these conditions should be addressed early for cosmetic issues and a chance to develop lazy eye.
Ocular alignment should be looked for and any evidence of squint or abnormal eye movement should be brought to the notice of the eye specialist immediately. Moreover, presence of unsteady eyes (nystagmus) should also be reported to the eye doctor. These conditions might point to the poor visual acuity in the child and might need treatment for lazy eye. Parents may get a rough estimate of the child’s vision with the ability to follow moving objects and light.
To summarize, parents should keep a close watch on the visual activities of their child. Early identification and treatment of any abnormality can change the way your baby looks at the world.