Babies Eyesight
Much like babies learn to walk and talk over a period of time, they also learn to see. The world can be a confusing place for newborn children and only becomes more confusing, the more they learn to see. Parents’ roles in babies eyesight journey are integral in helping them fully appreciate the wonder of the world around them, without it, they could face developmental problems. I have compiled a list of the different babies eyesight, developmental stages, along with tips on how to help them get the most out of their newfound vision, and signs that could mean they have developmental issues.
Babies Eyesight: Development Stages
Babies Eyesight: Birth To a Few Weeks Old
In utero, the baby’s eyes begin growing at around week 4 of pregnancy and can perceive light at around week 16. However, a fetus’s eyelids remain closed until 26 weeks gestation, and even then, the view from the womb is pretty limited. All this means is that when your baby enters their newly expanded world, it’s a kaleidoscope of fuzzy images to their new and unaccustomed eyes. At first, the farthest your baby will be able to see is the distance from your arms to your face (about 8 to 10 inches).
While some newborns do look directly at your face after birth, it is perfectly normal for others to keep their eyes squeezed shut. Some infants naturally focus on faces and objects, while others need a little more time to adjust to the newly expanded world around them. Your own baby’s pace will depend on everything from their gestational age to their individual personality.
Either way, for the first month, your baby’s eyes will, for the most part, be closed as they sleep for long periods of time. When their eyes do open, they will at first be unable to track moving objects but should be able to look at faces. Generally speaking, babies love looking at faces, so make sure to give your newborn lots of up-close-and-personal time with you and other caretakers.
Babies Eyesight: 2-3 Months
At this stage in their eyesight development, their sight is still slightly fuzzy, but they should start to recognise faces. Babies who are born prematurely may struggle to focus on your face, but this isn’t cause for concern. They will soon catch up and recognise your face in no time!
In terms of seeing colour, experts aren’t certain of how many colours they can see at this point. However, it is the age where they start noticing different hues.
Babies Eyesight: 3-4 Months
Around this age, babies can see anywhere from several feet in front of them to all the way across the room, so keep an eye out to see if they are watching you while you cook their dinner!
By 4 months old, your baby can also track faster movements with her eyes, perceive depth and even grab at moving objects — although their hand-eye coordination may not yet allow them to actually hold onto the target of their attention.
Perhaps the most exciting part of babies eyesight at this stage is that their eyes are starting to work together, and they’re developing depth perception. This means that your baby can finally recognise your face with much more clarity!
By this point, your baby’s vision has nearly fully developed. Babies can notice differences in shades of colour (particularly red and green) and may even begin favouring specific ones.
Babies Eyesight: 7-8 Months
When your newborn reaches 7-8 months, they should have clear enough vision to fully recognise people and things from across the room. They will be much more adept at tracking and grabbing objects. Their focus will still be on nearby objects and their short-range vision will be better than their long-range.
Babies Eyesight: 9-10 Months
When your baby reaches this age, their eyes will be the colour that they’ll stay when they’ve frown up (give or takes a few shades). The babies eyesight is very close to an adult’s now but if you are concerned that your baby isn’t at the stage that it should be, seek the advice of an optometrist so that any defects can be dealt with swiftly.
Babies Eyesight: 11-12 Months
At 11 months, your babies eyesight is basically as clear as an adult’s. They can pick out small objects from a distance and point and request them. Your baby should also be able to quickly track and focus on objects and grasp them between their thumb and forefinger. Encourage them to learn this skill!
At 12 months, your babies eyesight is as clear and sharp as an adult’s. Their depth perception is vastly improved and they are able to understand the difference between near and far objects.
Babies Eyesight: Signs of Eye Problems
The presence of eye and vision problems in infants is rare, but not impossible. Most babies begin life with healthy eyes and start to develop the visual abilities they will need throughout life without difficulty. But occasionally, eye health and vision problems can develop. Parents need to look for the following signs that may be indications of eye and vision problems:
Excessive tearing may indicate blocked tear ducts.
Red or encrusted eyelids could be a sign of an eye infection.
Constant eye turning may signal a problem with eye muscle control.
Extreme sensitivity to light may indicate an elevated pressure in the eye.
The appearance of a white pupil may indicate the presence of eye cancer.
The appearance of any of these signs should require immediate attention by a doctor of optometry.
Babies Eyesight: Developmental Tips and Tricks
There are many things parents can do to help their baby's vision develop properly. The following are some examples of age-appropriate activities that can assist a child’s visual development.
Birth to 4 months
Use a nightlight or other dim lamp in the baby's room.
Change the crib's position frequently and change the child's position in it.
Keep reach-and-touch toys within the baby's focus, about eight to twelve inches.
Talk to the baby while walking around the room.
Alternate right and left sides with each feeding.
5 to 8 months
Hang a mobile, crib gym, or various objects across the crib for the baby to grab, pull and kick.
Give the baby plenty of time to play and explore on the floor.
Provide plastic or wooden blocks that can be held in the hands.
Play patty cake and other games, moving the baby's hands through the motions while saying the words aloud.
9 to 12 months
Play hide and seek games with toys or your face to help the baby develop visual memory.
Name objects when talking to encourage the baby's word association and vocabulary development skills.
Encourage crawling and creeping.
