Blue Color in Infant's Sclera

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Question:
My son is two months old and was born with brown eyes. Now the ring around his eyes and the white part of his eyes is blue. Is this normal?

Answer:
The most common cause of a blue appearance to the sclera (the white part of the eye) in an infant is the fact that the normal thinness of the layers of eye allow the darker color of the underlying tissues to be seen through the white of the eye, thus creating the blue hue that is often seen in the infant eye. As the child grows and the sclera matures the blue hue will gradually disappear. There are other more serious causes of blue sclera, but fortunately these other causes are uncommon.

Answered by: David K. Coats, MD

Categories: Children's Eye Health

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