Children's Eye Health and Safety Month: Vision Improves With Time

Infants are born with poor eyesight as areas of the eyes and brain cells responsible for vision are not fully developed at birth.  Newborns can make out large distinct sights, briefly focus on a parent's facial feature and see objects 8 to 10 inches away, but the rest remains a blur.  In addition, newborns see in black and white because the retina, which is responsible for color perception, is only partially developed. Visual acuity greatly improves by 2 months of age.  An infant's eyes are able to gaze at faces for longer periods of time, follow a moving object, focus on different individuals and objects and see more subtle shadings and patterns. 

At 4 to 6 months, babies begin to see in color and a three-dimensional view of the world, allowing them to reach and grasp for a finger, clap hands, or transfer objects from one hand to another.  By 12 months, they're better able to judge distances and their hand-eye coordination skills greatly improve.  A child's eyesight continues to develop after age 1 and it may take another year for visual acuity to reach normal adult levels.

Parents can help their babies' visual development by:

• Buying a high-contrast mobile or toy. Babies are attracted to highly-defined black and white patterns.
• Providing age-appropriate toys, such as rattles. As their vision improves, babies will try to reach and grab the toy.
• Playing peek-a-boo and other visual games. This helps babies understand that objects still exist even if they are hidden.

After the first few months, parents should watch for signs of eye and vision problems, such as if a baby isn't able to fixate on objects a foot away or if a baby still appears cross-eyed. The American Optometric Association recommends that babies have their first comprehensive vision assessment by 6 months of age.

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