Does my 5-month-old need to wear glasses for crossed eyes?
FEB 08, 2019
Question:
My friend's 5-month-old baby has large angle esotropia (a large amount of misalignment, or crossing of the eyes) in both eyes. The baby’s prescription is +8.00 with astigmatism in both eyes. The doctor in his country recommended eyeglasses but my friend is worried that the baby is so little. Should my friend wait until her child is older?
Answer:
A newborn’s and infant’s visual system is already developing fast so having the eyes aligned is crucial to make sure it develops as fully as it can for the best possible vision.
In this situation, glasses are needed as they will improve the visual development in both eyes and possibly correct the crossed eyes (esotropia). While the thought of having such a young child in glasses may be alarming to some parents, using them is essential when there is eye misalignment and this level of visual correction for a refractive error like astigmatism.