This month we are going to talk about different areas of infant development and what to expect. The first one we are starting with is eyesight.
Newborns are not born with perfect vision. They are not able to easily tell the difference between two objects or move their eyes between two images. They can see the difference between highly contrasted colors, like black and white, but only can see about 8-10 inches away, which is perfect to be able to see their loved ones who hold them close! When born, newborns eyesight is between 20/200-20/400 and are sensitive to bright light.
One thing new parents get worried about is when their babies cross their eyes or their eyes drift outward. This is normal and should quickly improve.
Within the first few months, vision will improve fast.
By 2-3 months they may start to recognize faces and start to see more different shades of color.
Between 3-4 months of age a baby can start seeing a few feet in front of them to as far as across the room and can start tracking faster movements.
Between 5-8 months they are seeing more and more colors, depth perception improves, and they gain better control of eye movements.
Between 9-12 months their vision develops to be just as good as ours. Their eyesight will have a better chance of developing like it should if babies crawl. If they start walking early, they may not reap all the benefits of eyesight development like those who crawled as it improve better hand/eye coordination. At this age they can also judge distances very well.
If at any point you may be worried about your infant’s eyesight, then bring it up to a doctor. The earlier eye problems are diagnosed, the better the outcome can be with proper treatment.
It’s amazing to see how quickly infant’s eyesight develops and seeing them notice things for the first time. Such a fun thing to witness!
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