Vision in toddlers
Around the age of one year your child begins to see, and can rapidly follow, moving objects with his eyes. His vision now is about as good as it ever will be in adult life.
© Jupiter
The main changes that occur during your child's formative years are to do with the ability to interpret what he sees so that he can use it to express ideas in words, pictures and movements. In other words, it is the connections in the brain between the eyes, the tongue, the pen, the brush, the intellectual thought, the hand and the rest of the body that mature, not the ability to see per se. As with other aspects of your child's growing up you should try to encourage the development of his eye/brain and eye/body connections so that he can reach his full potential. You can do this by providing stimulating ideas, plenty of books, interesting toys and a varied range of activities.
Look out for changes
While I don't think regular eye checkups are necessary in a child who is developing normally you should be on the look-out for any changes in the appearance of your child's eye - that is a lazy eye, a drooping eyelid or a squint. Be responsive to signs that your child can't see clearly, for example, bumping into furniture or not being able to follow the trajectory of a ball that's thrown to him. Seek medical advice at once; don't wait to see if an abnormality clears up. Like a disused limb, a disused eye deteriorates rapidly.
New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard
Posted 03.11.2010
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