Eyes Look Crossed (Pseudostrabismus)

What is pseudostrabismus?

Pseudostrabismus is the term used when a baby's eyes look like they are pointing in different directions even though they are not.

This is not the same as strabismus, in which the eyes actually do point in different directions.

What is the cause?

Babies often have a wide, flat nose bridge that can make their eyes look crossed. Also, babies can have folds in the skin of the inner eyelids that cover the inner white part of the eyes, making their eyes look crossed. The eyes may look more crossed when the baby looks to one side.

How is it diagnosed?

If a baby's eyes look misaligned constantly by the time they are 2 months old or misaligned part of the time by the age of 3 months, take your baby to an ophthalmologist (medical eye doctor).

The doctor will do several tests. He may hold a small light in front of the baby's eyes to check if the reflection of this light is properly centered in each eye. In another test, the provider covers one of the child's eyes and then the other to see if the eyes shift abnormally when focusing on a near or distant object.

How is it treated?

No treatment is needed for pseudostrabismus. The appearance of misaligned eyes often improves as a child gets older.

If your child has strabismus rather than pseudostrabismus, your child needs treatment. Untreated strabismus can cause poor vision. If treatment is delayed too long, the loss of vision is permanent.

What can be done to help prevent pseudostrabismus?

Pseudostrabismus cannot be prevented.