Today we went to the district nurse and she told us a scary thing. Well, it is not that scary in her opinion but something to keep an eye on – this is something that makes us absolutely worried.
She noted that our baby sometimes looks downwards. She says this is a neurodevelopmental phase but she should outgrow it. This immediately prompted me to do research.
What the nurse described is sometimes called the “sunset eyes” effect in infants. It happens when a baby’s eyes appear to roll downward, and you can see more of the white part of the eye (sclera) above the iris, often when they open their eyes widely.
This is usually not dangerous and is considered part of normal neurological and eye development in young infants. It often appears in the first few weeks or months of life and typically resolves on its own as the baby’s nervous system matures. Doctors sometimes watch it to make sure it’s not associated with other symptoms, but if your baby is otherwise healthy, feeding well, and developing normally, it is generally harmless.
The term “sunset eyes” comes from how it looks – like the sun setting, with the iris appearing lower in the eye.
Since our baby is 2 months old and has had thorough prenatal scans with normal skull measurements, this is very reassuring. It’s expected to gradually go away as the baby grows.
So we really hope this is nothing to do with increased cranial pressure or hydrocephalus, which can easily be the cause. The thing is, she only does this when she is observing or something new is introduced to her. We are going to the pediatrician on Thursday so we still need to wait and try to ease up our concern somehow.