Though there may be nothing wrong when an infant’s eyes roll back in their head, this can also mean a serious brain or heart problem.

“Sometimes eyes will roll back when an infant is falling asleep,” says Irene Tien, MD, a board-certified pediatric ER physician with Mass General Brigham in MA.

“If this is associated with change in mental status (e.g., not responsive in the normal fashion, unusual behavior like sudden agitation), then this could be a sign of a seizure or even a dysrhythmia (heart electrical activity is abnormal),” explains Dr. Tien.

That means a trip to the emergency room. Anything that can suggest a problem with the brain or heart is nothing to turn your back on and hope it will magically go away.

“A seizure in a child may be related to a fever, head injury or less commonly, a seizure disorder,” says Dr. Tien

“Sometimes young infants can have tongue thrusting, bicycling movements of arms or legs as a sign of infant seizures.

“If the infant is otherwise appearing fine, there are no other associated symptoms like the ones above, and the child is having normal neurological development and growth, call your pediatrician for a formal examination,” says Dr. Tien.

Infant Often Rolls Eyes Back into Head

Dr. Tien explains, “If this is happening frequently or for more than five minutes at a time, you should take your infant to the emergency department for a more urgent evaluation.

If the infant is pale, blue, not breathing properly or has other symptoms of urgent concern to parents, call 9-1-1 for an urgent ER evaluation.”

In practice for 20+ years, Dr. Tien is a leading medical voice on social media, providing the public with accurate information to empower them to live their healthiest life.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.  
Why does my infant’s eyes roll back into her head?