What are the causes of Retinal Hemorrhage in infants?

Glutaric Aciduria type 1 and Barlow's disease (infantile scurvy) can also cause Retinal hemorrage in infants. I am a medical student and just learned that parents often get accused of child abuse due to an inappropriate diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome in these cases. Please be sure your physician seriously checks for these two problems if you are positive your baby was not shaken.

Please be sure your physician looks into Glutaric Aciduria Type 1

Same thing is happening to my sister and brother in law! And my nephew had also just came out of the hospital from a surgery. It wasn't on his eyes, but they did put the iv in his head near the top of his ear or above his temple. I also KNOW for a fact that my sister and brother in law would never hurt their children. I would also like to know what else causes retinal hemorrhaging. What kind of adverse health conditions could cause it?

Hi Anon - Thanks for writing. I can understand why you're concerned.

Retinal hemorrhage is the abnormal bleeding of the blood vessels in the retina, the membrane in the back of the eye. Retinal hemorrhages can be caused by injuries, usually forceful blows to the head during accidents and falls, as well as by adverse health conditions. In infants, retinal hemorrhage is frequently associated with child abuse and has been termed shaken baby syndrome.

The medical literature shows cases of retinal hemorrhage in infants caused by both accidental and non-accidental injury. It would be important to find out if your nephew was involved in a fall or other accident which could have caused his injury in order to demonstrate the cause of his retinal hemmorrhage.

Does this answer your question?
Pat