Baby’s Vision: What can your infant see?

Your baby’s visual development is a vital part of his physical development. A lot of studies are being done to fully understand just how and what your baby sees, from birth to 2 years of age. It takes about that long for your baby’s vision to develop, so you need to monitor his visual progress in the same way as you monitor his physical development. Understand that though your baby’s eyes seem fully developed they are, in fact, not quite so. This includes the muscles responsible for focusing on objects, and the fine nerves responsible for perceiving objects clearly.

From birth to the first month, your baby appreciates contrast. A contrast of 100% is preferred by babies because the eye is mostly made up of rods. This is why experts say they prefer black and white. You may also notice that your baby’s eyes may tend to misalign: occasionally you will see them being cross-eyed, or deviated. It can either happen on both eyes or individually. This should be of no concern for the first few months, but if the misalignment is occurring for long periods of time you need to consult an eye specialist immediately. When you bring your child outdoors, you must protect them from excessive exposure to UV rays by shading them from direct sunlight. You can also help stimulate your baby’s vision by decorating your baby’s room with objects of varying sizes and contrasts.

On the 2nd and 3rd month your baby’s light sensitivity will be ten times more compared to an adult. Aside from that, his eye muscles are stronger, enabling him to shift his vision without having to turn his head. He can now follow a finger puppet situated at a distance of 6-10 inches away horizontally and vertically. His eye movements may still be jerky at times, especially when presented with a fast-moving object. But if you slowly move an onject in different directions slowly, his eye movements will be smooth and fine. To make sure that your baby knows that it’s time to sleep, you have to dim the lights inside the room. Your baby is also now appreciative of other colors such as yellow and red, in addition to black and white. Other colors such may not be seen as perfectly as others because of varying wavelengths. His ability to perceive the world in 3D has started because his eye muscles are developing better and better. Encourage him to look around his room by changing where his crib is located every now and then. Since he is now appreciative of what he can see, you may want to converse with your baby while you walk around the room especially when something has taken his interest.

At four to six months, significant changes can be observed in your baby. Your baby’s visual coordination acuity is now 20/25, a drastic change from 20/400. Because of this, his hand and eye coordination has now greatly improved as well. This would be the best time to bring your baby to a visit with an eye specialist. This is when the doctor will see if your baby will have a possibility of carrying a visual disturbance as he grows. A deviating eye is best corrected around this time to prevent any ocular muscle problems. Around this period, your baby will now be able to perceive and even prefer your face better. Always present the same facial expression to your baby to encourage familiarity.

6 months onwards, your baby will now be able to discern pictures and watches facial expressions. Around this time, you will notice that he will always have the facial expression that he sees from a parent or caregiver. His internal eye muscles are also starting to strengthen, enabling him to see clearly even the smallest object of about 2mm-3mm in size. Every single thing that he sees will be something worthy of interest and wonder, making it necessary to watch him closely. He will crawl, reach, and even swallow if he can every single place or object that he would see. He is now able to appreciate different colors and hues better compared to when he was a newborn. By age two, your baby should have the best vision possible.

It is important that you keep track of your baby’s visual development. Poor vision leads to poor performance at school. If you see your baby bumping into objects, slanting his head sideways or covering one eye to see clearly, you must visit an eye specialist immediately.