What does it mean when a child rolls their eyes upward?
May 05, 2022
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Zhang Weiling
Introduction
Physiological imitation: When children find certain movements particularly interesting or amusing, they unconsciously imitate them.
Immature development: Infants and young children are still undergoing physical and neurological development, which is not yet complete; neurological development plays a critical role.
Pathological causes: In some children, congenital entropion (inward turning of the eyelid) causes the eyelashes to rub against the surface of the eyeball, irritating the cornea and leading to epiphora (excessive tearing).
There are several reasons why a child may roll their eyes upward, including physiological imitation, incomplete development, and pathological causes.
① Physiological Imitation
Children may imitate actions performed by adults or seen on television out of curiosity. To children, everything in the world is novel and fascinating; thus, upon observing certain actions that seem particularly interesting or amusing, they may unconsciously imitate them.
② Incomplete Development
During infancy and early childhood, both the body’s organs and the nervous system—including neural tissue in the brain—are still immature. Neural development, in particular, plays a critical role. During sleep, due to underdeveloped neural control, infants may exhibit various involuntary movements such as rolling over, kicking their legs, crying, laughing, or rolling their eyes upward.
③ Pathological Causes
Some children have congenital entropion (inward turning of the eyelid), causing the eyelashes to rub against the surface of the eye (cornea), thereby irritating the cornea and triggering excessive tearing.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children may manifest as sudden, involuntary, repetitive movements of specific body parts—such as blinking, frowning, grimacing, or shoulder shrugging—alongside symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity.
Inflammatory stimulation, possibly caused by bacterial, viral, or chlamydial infections—for example, conjunctivitis or keratitis.
