How will you know if your baby has vision problems

　　Your baby's eyes will be examined before she leaves hospital, as part of her newborn check. Your GP will also examine your baby's eyes at your postnatal check, when your baby is between six and eight weeks old.
　　At birth it's normal for your baby's eyes to roll away from each other occasionally. But if your baby is squinting all, or a lot of the time, tell your doctor or health visitor. They can refer you to a child vision specialist, called an orthoptist or ophthalmologist (Hall and Elliman 2006, NHS 2009b, Scott 2011).
　　Let your doctor or health visitor know if:
　　any vision problems run in the family
　　your baby has trouble moving one or both of her eyes in all directions
　　your baby's eyes are crossed most of the time
　　one or both of your baby's eyes tend to turn out or wander
　　your baby can't track an object with both eyes by the time of your postnatal check
　　(Hamer and Mirabella 2008, NHS 2009b, RCO 2009)
　　Babies born prematurely and babies born with a low birth weight are more likely to have vision problems. This is because the eyes don't finish developing at the end of pregnancy.
　　If your baby was born early or with a low birth weight she will be screened for a condition called retinopathy of prematurity (NHS 2009a, RCPCH 2008). This condition happens when the blood vessels that supply the eyes with oxygen and nutrients haven't fully developed (NHS 2009a, RCPCH 2008). This condition is fully treatable if it is noticed early (Hall and Elliman 2006, RCPCH 2008).
　　If you're worried about your baby's eyesight as she grows up, talk to your doctor. Many eye problems can be treated successfully if they're spotted early.