Should I worry that my nine-year-old looks up to the right?
JAN 30, 2013
Question:
For the past few weeks my 9-year-old son's eyes will (for no apparent reason) look up to the right. He does not realize that he is doing it and he will do it sometimes four or five times in a row. It happens under varied circumstances; while he's playing basketball, watching TV, or talking to someone. Could this be the result of a neurological condition?
Answer:
The symptoms you describe are not typical of a neurological condition. Such asymptomatic and unusual eye movements as you have described are, in my experience, usually due to a habit tic or they are a response to excessive stress and/or pressure from some source on the child. Time usually results in spontaneous resolution of the problem. If there is excessive stress and/or pressure on the child, reduction of these factors can be valuable.