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Baby Does Not Track Or Respond To Light, Eyes Dilate. Red Reflex Fine, Not Cataracts. Possibly Blind?
Question: Dear Ask The Doctor: My 8 week old baby boy dose not track and dose not respond to light, his eyes dilate and sometimes he bulges his eyes, also they seem to shake a little bit like somethingis pulling them back. i have been to see my doctor and she says there is a problem but would not give me any extra information. She has refered my on but it could take a while before i actualy get to see someone. could you tell me anything what could this be and is there a possibility he may be blind?. Also she told me that his red reflex is fine so he dose not have cateracts.
Dear XXXXXXX
Thanks for the query.
From what you have described, your baby might be having defective vision. Inability to follow light, shaking of eyes (nystagmus) point to a defect in the visual development.
Since there are no cataracts, the problem could be in the retina or the visual pathway. Sometimes it could be just delayed visual maturation (developmental delay).
Your baby requires a careful and detailed dilated examination of the eye by a competent pediatric ophthalmologist. He/She would be able to tell you whether it is a refractive error or a retina problem or a problem with the visual pathway.
Hope this answer is both useful and informative.
I may be able to comment more if you could send me further details.
Best regards,
Dr.Mihir Shah
Thanks for the query.
From what you have described, your baby might be having defective vision. Inability to follow light, shaking of eyes (nystagmus) point to a defect in the visual development.
Since there are no cataracts, the problem could be in the retina or the visual pathway. Sometimes it could be just delayed visual maturation (developmental delay).
Your baby requires a careful and detailed dilated examination of the eye by a competent pediatric ophthalmologist. He/She would be able to tell you whether it is a refractive error or a retina problem or a problem with the visual pathway.
Hope this answer is both useful and informative.
I may be able to comment more if you could send me further details.
Best regards,
Dr.Mihir Shah
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
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