Eye Health Kid's Eye Health Why Newborns Appear Cross-Eyed Causes of Strabismus and When it Should Be Evaluated By Troy Bedinghaus, OD Troy Bedinghaus, OD LinkedIn Troy L. Bedinghaus, OD, board-certified optometric physician, owns Lakewood Family Eye Care in Florida. He is an active member of the American Optometric Association. Learn about our editorial process Updated on January 31, 2023 Medically reviewed by Johnstone M. Kim, MD Medically reviewed by Johnstone M. Kim, MD Johnstone M. Kim, MD, is board-certified in ophthalmology. He's a practicing physician at Midwest Retina in Dublin, Ohio and previously served as a full-time faculty member at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and the Kresge Eye Institute in Detroit, Michigan. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Print Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Newborn Eyes In Older Babies Causes Treatment It's normal for a newborn to appear cross-eyed for the first few months of life. This is typically due to under-developed eye coordination and usually goes away by 4 months of age. Crossed eyes in babies older than 4 months, however, may indicate an eye condition known as strabismus. This occurs when the eye muscles don't coordinate eye movements correctly. If caught early, it may be corrected with glasses or therapy, although sometimes surgery is needed. This article explains why most newborns have crossed eyes from time to time. It also explains when to talk to your pediatrician about your newborn's vision and how crossed eyes are treated. Newborns and Crossed Eyes There are several reasons the appearance of crossed eyes occurs with new babies. One is that sometimes babies are born with extra skin folds in the inner corners of their eyes, giving them the appearance of crossed eyes. However, as these babies grow, these folds start to disappear. albert mollon / Getty Images Another reason a newborn infant's eyes appear crossed from time to time is due to a lack of development at this stage. Therefore, it is common for a newborn's eyes to move independently of each other. The cross-eyed look sometimes causes concern for new parents. However, by the age of 3 or 4 months, an infant's eyes should be straight and able to focus on objects without turning outward or inward. Vision Development Milestones in Babies Older Babies and Crossed Eyes Strabismus is an eye misalignment resulting from a failure of the eye muscles to work together. If your baby is older than 4 months and still has the appearance of crossed eyes, you might suspect strabismus. Symptoms to watch for include: Eyes that continue to crossEyes that move inward or outwardEyes that don't appear to focus together Early detection of strabismus or other eye disorders is vital for preserving a child's future vision. An eye doctor can perform several tests on babies and young children to determine if treatment is needed. If your child has strabismus and does not receive proper treatment, their brain could start to ignore the messages sent from one of their eyes. Over time, the neglected eye may become lazy and result in vision loss if left untreated. This visual condition is known as amblyopia or "lazy eye." In addition to developing amblyopia, depth perception could also be affected. Overview of Amblyopia, or Lazy Eye Causes Strabismus sometimes runs in families. But it can also show up in children with no family history. When genetics don't play a role, it's more likely a doctor will diagnose a significant vision problem. Some children are more at risk of developing strabismus, including: Those with cerebral palsy Those with Down syndrome Premature babies Low birth weight babies Children with farsighted vision Causes and Risk Factors of Retinopathy of Prematurity Treatment Doctors can often correct strabismus with glasses. This treatment is usually successful if caught early in a child's life. However, sometimes wearing glasses is not enough to correct strabismus, and treatment may include surgical correction. Eye doctors will operate on the eye muscles, maneuvering them to pull the eyes into the correct position. What Is Shaken Baby Syndrome? Summary Crossed eyes during the newborn stage are quite common. However, if a baby older than 3 or 4 months has crossed eyes, they may have an eye condition called strabismus. This condition requires treatment, or it could lead to lazy eye and vision loss. Glasses often correct the situation, but it sometimes requires surgery. A Word From Verywell If you suspect that your baby has a vision problem due to crossed eyes, make an appointment with an eye doctor. If your baby has an eye problem, the sooner treatment starts, the better the results will usually be. 4 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Wan MJ, Vanderveen DK. Eye disorders in newborn infants (excluding retinopathy of prematurity). Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition. 2014;100(3). doi:10.1136/archdischild-2014-306215 Ye XC, Pegado V, Patel MS, Wasserman WW. Strabismus genetics across a spectrum of eye misalignment disorders. Clin Genet. 2014;86(2):103–111. doi:10.1111/cge.12367 Smith EL 3rd, Hung LF, Arumugam B, Wensveen JM, Chino YM, Harwerth RS. Observations on the relationship between anisometropia, amblyopia and strabismus. Vision Res. 2017;134:26-42. doi:10.1016/j.visres.2017.03.004 Sharma P, Gaur N, Phuljhele S, Saxena R. What's new for us in strabismus? Indian J Ophthalmol. 2017;65(3):184-190. doi:10.4103/ijo.IJO_867_16 By Troy Bedinghaus, OD Troy L. Bedinghaus, OD, board-certified optometric physician, owns Lakewood Family Eye Care in Florida. He is an active member of the American Optometric Association. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Medical Expert Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit