A lot of people and parents are unaware of the development of a child’s eyesight and how we can help it progress as they grow. These are a few facts and tips on most babies’ visual progression in the first few months of life.
Newborns are only able to see 8-10 inches away at birth, which is about the length of the distance from your arms to your face! For the first few months, your baby’s vision consists of a blurred kaleidoscope of low-contrast colors. For that reason, high-contrast images catch their attention and stimulate their eyes to improve their visual tracking.
Currently, we live in a time where neutrals are the trend, and while they are aesthetically pleasing, they do not do much for a child’s visual and cognitive systems. Bold colors assist babies in improving their visual tracking system as well as spark creativity.
There are a lot of toys, books, and cards made with black and white contrasts, their purpose being to grab a baby’s attention and help them learn to focus. Assisting your child in the early stages to improve tracking and focus helps to lay a sturdy visual foundation and will later help them develop their eye-hand coordination. There is a lot of focus on rolling over, crawling, etc, but visual skills are just as important and will aid children in the progression of motor skills.
At our practice, children under the age of one get a free comprehensive exam! During our InfantSEE exams, our doctors use a variety of tools, lights, and toys to gauge an infant’s visual acuity. A frequent concern we hear is parents worried about their child’s eyes turning in or out. This is not uncommon in infants and usually corrects itself as they grow. As babies, the muscular system is steadily developing along with many other areas of the body. For example, children do not fully develop their kneecaps until between the ages of two and six! Although the eyes turning at a young age is fairly common, we always encourage parents to bring in their child when they have any concerns.
