# Toddler rolling eyes?



## heatherweh

DS is almost 2 and I have been concerned about this for the past few weeks. He seems to roll his eyes sometimes (every day a few times for the past few weeks). I know that sounds mild, but it looks very unsettling. Its like he can't see or something for brief periods of time. It seems to get worse and happen more when he is upset or tired. I don't think he is doing it on purpose to be silly, he has stopped mid-tantruming to have his eyes roll around and it doesn't seem to fit that he would have the self-control to do that on his own accord. He squints and his eyes roll upward and he sort of makes an odd face.

Has anyone ever heard of this (or seen it)?


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## momileigh

I would absolutely take him to the pediatrician and express your concerns. He may have an issue with or around his eyes. You may be referred to an ophthalmologist or other specialist. It also sounds vaguely like a seizure-like behavior to me (although I'm not any kind of expert on this subject) that you should have evaluated immediately.








I don't mean to scare you. He may be just fine, or he may need some care. My dd was 3.5 when we realized she had a problem with her eyes. She now wears glasses all the time. The sooner you catch this stuff the better the outcome. I had to jump up and down to get her in to see the ophthalmologist in a timely fashion, but I'm so glad I did.

Please update! I hope it is nothing!


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## mean_jeannie

How long does this last? Minutes or seconds? If it's happening for many minutes each time, I would think it could be something like a seizure. If it is just for a few seconds or a minute or two, I am inclined to think it may just be a tic. Tics are terribly common in small children.

Something like Tourette's is not diagnosed for *much later* than now, and children have to have persistent tics that last longer than a year. I was reminded of a student I had that had Tourette's when you said

Quote:

It seems to get worse and happen more when he is upset or tired.
This boy would have major tics when stressed, and that is the *only* reason I mention it.

On the other hand, my 2 yo does roll his eyes around purposefully, so it could be an expression he is making of some sort.

Could you start a log. Like jot down each time it happens and what was happening at the time? It may be helpful, especially if you might see a pedi about it.


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## annamama

I would take him to see a doctor, just to get him checked...


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## starlein26

I recommend taking him in to a neurologist to rule out more serious causes first and then an opthamologist...

Best wishes to you and your son!


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## uptowngirl

Eye rolling wouldn't seem like a huge deal, but if he seems to stop what he's doing and "check out" during the eye rolling, then I would be concerned about seizures, too. I'd get him checked.


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## 2cutiekitties

mine is doing this too. I self diagnosed him on google and came up with benign tonic upgaze of infancy. Check it out, there are youtube videos and lots of freak outs on other forums, all that sound just like my son.

He only does this when he is really tired. My hubby just noticed it too, so a doctors visit here we come.


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## heatherweh

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2cutiekitties* 
mine is doing this too. I self diagnosed him on google and came up with benign tonic upgaze of infancy. Check it out, there are youtube videos and lots of freak outs on other forums, all that sound just like my son.

He only does this when he is really tired. My hubby just noticed it too, so a doctors visit here we come.

You're right- thank you so much. He looks just like the boy with tonic benign upgaze, the one who's plaing nomrally then does the eye roll thing and is unresponsive and then goes back to playing normally. DS does this when he gets stressed out, like when we yelled at him to stop today because he was about to spill grape juice on the carpet- oops







felt bad we scared him. He rolled eyes upward for a few seconds before his face crumpled. Poor little guy. We have a doctors appointment tomorrow, so thank goodness we have the name to give her and can see if she recommends a specialist or something. PM me if you hear anything and I'll do the same.

It was hard to understand anything about it since it was all written in medical jargon. I'd love a resource for parents saying here's what it is and what can cause it, particularly with a "don't worry" caveat. I mean could it tie in with his sensory issues and speech delay? A developmental pediatrician might be a good start. Thanks again.


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## momileigh

That is very interesting about the tonic upgaze. I've spend an hour looking at the videos and reading what there is about it. It sounds like your son may have a mild case of it and that kids usually grow out of it! And there's no serious treatment for it. So that's good news!


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## Landyn's Mom

Hi. My son has Paroxysmal Tonic Upgaze. I recently started a website for families of children with PTU. http://www.upgaze.org. You should check it out. You can contact me if you like. [email protected]. I'd be happy to fill you in on what I know and possibly help you find a doctor who is familiar with it. Most doctors have never heard of it. Even specialists! Getting a diagnosis can be very difficult. Regardless, please be sure to keep us posted on how he's doing and what the doctors tell you! Good luck!


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## Pumpkin_Pie

This is very interesting. My son too rolls his eyes upward, especially when sleepy. He will be nursing, and looking at me, and suddenly he will roll his eyes up two or three times and sort of glaze over for a second. I asked his ped, and she said he is doing it because it feels interesting to him. I didn't think that sounded right, but he also doesn't seem affected at other times during the day, so I am not worrying about it right now.

I will definitely check out the links above.


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## Sierra

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mean_jeannie* 
How long does this last? Minutes or seconds? If it's happening for many minutes each time, I would think it could be something like a seizure.

Slightly off on a tangent, but I didn't want potential misinformation to just be floating around.

I wanted to jump in and say that there are types of seizures that happen for only seconds...sometimes we don't even notice them. Some folks who have these types of seizures can be having hundreds in a single day before anyone starts to become alarmed.


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## northernmom75

Hi there! I know this is an old post, but did anyone ever find out what was going on with their children? My daughter, who is 25 months, just started to roll her eyes upwards, mostly when very tired, and only for a second or two. We have a doc appointment next week, but just curious what everyone else found out. Thanks!


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## jmarroq

My son started opening his eyes really wide and blinking and rolling his eyes when he was about 6. I mentioned it to the eye doctor, and he blew it off.

Does your son have any developmental issues? At that point, my son already had delays. He had speech, fine motor and gross motor delays, visual motor issues, etc. He had been in OT and ST on and off from age 2. There were many diagnosis over the years..borderline autism at age 3 but re-tested before kindergarten and no autism, SPD, dyspraxia....tested moderate to high for Asperger's and ADHD at about age 6.

My son eventually developed motor tics at age 7, about 4 months after we noticed the eye rolling. Although the tics were in his torso, arm and neck, they were in his eyes too. I suspect the original eye rolling was the pre-curser to the full blown tics. They wax and wane. They got bad for a while, but they were at their worst at age 7. When school started this year (age 10), it was only in his eyes. The eye thing went away for now, but he started flapping his hands a bit....and he has developed OCD. I am hoping this is just a side effect of his asthma medication. We recently switched meds to see if the OCD clears up.

I can tell you that being tired or sick will make it worse. So will certain (junk) foods and drinks. My son has allergies and is asthmatic, so he is basically always sick! Unfortunately, meds can make the sickness better, but can make the tics worse.

Have you ever noticed your son making any weird noises? When my son was 3, he started snorting a lot. We took him to the doctor and she put him on allergy medicine. The snorting didn't stop. We took him off the meds and it stopped, only to be replaced by throat clearing. They put him back on the meds. The throat clearing was replaced by sniffling. We didn't do any more meds...waited to see what happened. Sure enough it went away on it's own...but within a week it was replaced by another sound... gasping. That lasted about a month or so as well. I think deep down inside I knew this was a tic, but the motor component didn't come about until the eye rolling at age 6, and the torso, neck and facial tics at age 7.


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