My baby's eye appears to turn in.... 

This is a very common concern, and rightly so, if a baby has a truly misaligned eye it is a serious problem. You'll be pleased to know that most of the babies and young children who appear to have a turned eye are fine, their eyes have been perfectly aligned from around 3 months of age.  So why can it appear as if they aren't? 

Take a look at the photo on the right.

The right eye is in the middle of the eyelids, there is a patch of white eyeball between the edge of the iris (blue in this case). But the blue of the left eye has no gap between it and the skin at the corner of the eye alongside the nose, surely that must mean this eye is turned towards the nose? 

All in the face 

A baby's face is very different from yours or mine, their head and face are smaller, their nose is flat, the sinuses around the nose aren't there for years, the eyeballs are smaller.....

Have a close look at the baby on the left. They're looking directly at you, face straight, focused on the camera, and both eyes pointing the same direction, as you can see by the dots of light that are reflected off the front of each eye - they sit in the same position (slightly to the left) on each eye.

See how close the 2 eyes are to each other, and how wide the flat skin across the nose is? 

• Red: the upper eyelid skin curves abruptly down, rather than towards the nose like it does in adults. This is known as an epicanthic fold.
• Black line: Wide nasal bridge, present due to the epicanthic fold and the lack of a protruding (adult) nose. The part of each eyeball nearest the nose is covered by this on each side.
• Blue: the 2 eyes sit fairly close, so there really is only a very small gap between the blue of the iris and the edge of the skin around the epicanthus, even when the child has their head pointing directly at you.
• Green: The eyelids are short. 

Is their face turned to the side? 

Whether you are talking away to them as you try and get a picture, or if your child is busy playing while they briefly glance up and to the side at you, it is quite common for a child not to be looking at you with their face directly pointing at yours.

Even a small turn of the eyes towards you while their face is still pointing away will make the 2 eyes appear different (asymmetry) and accentuate the features of the baby face above that make it look as if the eye on one side is turned towards the nose.

How can I tell if my child's eyes are straight?

Check your camera, look for a picture that had a flash or light coming from the camera and so created a reflex of light in the middle of the pupil.

Is the spot in the middle in both eyes (below left)? If it's not in the middle in either the light may have been off to the side (seen in the pictures above). However, if the light reflex is nicely in the middle of the pupil in one eye, but sitting over the blue or brown of the iris in the other, then you know that the eye is misaligned (below right), and you should arrange to be seen by me as soon as you can.