Vision in babies
People used to think that newborn babies could not see. It was thought that because they could not focus to any great extent their visual world need not be stimulating and could even be neglected. We now know that this is far from the truth.
© Jupiter
A newborn baby can see. The only difference between a newborn baby and an older one with mature eyesight is that the newborn baby cannot see as much, as easily, or as well. In other words, your newborn sees in a limited way, and you have to fit the visual world into a range that he can perceive.
Your baby's visual powers will not be fully developed until he's between three and six months old. He won't be able to focus on anything more than 25cm (10in) from his face. As his eye muscles become stronger and he develops binocular vision, his acuity will improve greatly.
Even though your newborn baby's eyesight is limited, his eyes are very sensitive to two things: the human face, and anything that moves. If you bring your face to within 20cm (8in) of your baby's you'll notice his eyes move and his expression change. Even a baby only a few hours old can bring both eyes together on to an object (convergence) and follow it if it moves. As he gets older his whole body may react with excited jerking movements when your face comes into focus.
Colour vision
When your baby is born the cells in the retina of the eye that see colours are not fully developed, so your newborn baby only sees the world in terms of muted shades. The first colours that your baby detects are red and blue, and then green and yellow. For the first few months of life your baby can only see the brightest kinds of colours so make sure that you have brightly coloured objects around him. Babies are also very attracted to black on white pictures or objects.
Three-dimensional vision
Because your baby can only focus on objects that are closer than 25cm (10in) from his face, the world appears rather flat and many details are not seen. However, even at two weeks a baby will automatically raise a hand to protect himself from something that is moving quickly towards him. It is necessary for your baby to have three-dimensional vision before he becomes mobile, and he probably won't crawl until he sees and understands the third dimension. A complete, three-dimensional picture of the world is not usually built up until your baby is about four months old and may not be perfect until six months old.
Checking eyesight in babies
During the first few months of your baby's life you are the best person to check his sight although you shouldn't become obsessive about it. By the age of four months even an inattentive or lazy baby should focus on a brightly coloured object held 20-25cm (8-10in) from his face, especially if it makes a noise, like a rattle, and especially if it is moved. One of the most joyful sights in your child's life is your face, and he should also react to your smile and bobbing head movements as you talk by around four months or so. If he isn't, don't be too concerned but mention it to your health visitor or doctor when you next go to see either one of them.
New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard
Posted 03.11.2010
Get more on this subject…
