


The cause of congenital strabismus, which means strabismus that occurs at or shortly after birth, is not known. This condition could occur in the event of problems related to eye muscles, control center in the brain that is involved with movements of the eyes, or the nerves that transmit information to the muscles. Strabismus, which is commonly referred to as crossed eyes, is an eye condition that is characterized by abnormal alignment of one or both eyes. This could be indicative of anisometropic amblyopia that occurs due to different refractions. Sometimes, both eyes might have a red reflex however, there might be difference in the level of brightness. High refractive errors could sometimes cause an asymmetrical red reflex. Refractive errors occur when one has a problem in focusing due to the irregular shape of the cornea or the length of the eyeball. The brain then interprets these messages into the images we see. The retina converts the images into electric signals, and sends them to the brain through the optic nerve. Thereafter, the light is focused on the retina, which is a light-sensitive membrane covering the back wall of the eyeball that is continuous with the optic nerve.

In children affected by Coat’s disease, a yellowish glow is observed during direct ophthalmoscopy.įor us to be able to see properly, light rays are bent (refracted) while they pass through the cornea and the lens. Retinal detachment can occur when there is a large buildup of fatty material. Leakage of fluid from the blood vessels might give rise to a buildup of fatty material into the retina. Retinal detachment could occur in individuals affected by Coat’s disease, where dilated and abnormally twisted blood vessels in the eye hamper the normal flow of blood. It is believed that retinal detachment (detachment of retina from the underlying tissue layer) could be responsible for the absence of red reflex. This can be detected through the red reflex test, or even observed in photographs that have been taken with a flash. Leukocoria, which refers to the whiteness in the pupil, is one of the most early signs of retinoblastoma. The cancer affects the retina, which is the specialized light-sensitive membrane at the back of the eye. Retinoblastoma refers to a rare type of eye cancer that might affect children before the age of 5 years. In case the reflection is abnormal or absent, and there is family history of retinoblastoma or cataract, the child should be taken to an ophthalmologist at the earliest. While observing the change in the color, the change in the level of pigmentation of the fundus in children from different ethnic groups should be considered. In such cases, pupils might have to be dilated, provided the infant is older than 2 weeks. Moreover, the infant might not keep the eyes open.

The test must be conducted properly, as the pupils in infants can sometimes be small. White reflex is present (retinal reflection).Dark spots are present in the region of red reflex.Opacities or white spots (leukocoria) are observed within the area of red reflex in one or both eyes.The pediatrician should make a referral to an ophthalmologist in the following cases: The reflection should be symmetrical in terms of color, intensity, and clarity.The red or orange glow must be observed in both the eyes.However, 10-15 percent of people have a hypersensitive gag reflex (HGR), which continues to get activated by substances in the mouth. Most often, sufferers of HGR gag while eating sticky foods that tend to get stuck in the mouth, such as bananas and mashed potatoes in extreme cases, oversensitive gagging can cause picky eating or even malnourishment.The test will be considered normal under the following circumstances: In children and adults, the reflex is usually only triggered by the presence of an unusually large object in the back of the throat. Starting around the 6- or 7-month mark in babies, the gag reflex diminishes, allowing a baby to swallow chunky or solid foods. In the first few months of a baby's life, this reflex is triggered by any food that a region of the brain stem called the "nucleus tractus solitaries" (which is wired to nerve endings in the mouth) judges to be too chunky for a baby's stomach to digest. By thrusting objects in the throat toward the opening of the mouth, the gag reflex expels substances that the brain has deemed harmful.
