Newborns Eyesight Initially newborns eyesight is undeveloped and does not enable a child to focus on specific objects. She will have quite a narrow range and the best distance for her is about 10 or 12 inches away – coincidentally this is the distance between her face and yours when she is feeding. It is not surprising then that the first face she will recognise is mum’s and this can happen when she is only a few days old although her sense of smell will also be telling her who you are. Whilst a newborns eyesight only allows her to see up to 12 inches away it is a good idea to ‘chat’ to your baby with your nose practically touching hers and looking directly into her eyes at the same time; you can move your head from side to side and she will be able to build up an image of you in this way. You will notice that she will react to bright light, say from a window and any movement against this light will also attract her attention. Best of all though she will enjoy seeing human faces. Newborns eyesight is best equipped to notice stark contrasting colours, like black and white, rather than lots of similar colours. You can slowly introduce her to lots of different objects and pictures and during the day move her about so she has a change of scenery. Interestingly, a newborns eyesight seems to be drawn to patterns with curved lines rather than straight ones. It has been found that babies eyesight (in the first month) enables them to see sufficiently that, if they could read the card, would be able to read the big ‘E’ on an eye chart. From birth, newborns eyesight will allow her to coordinate her eyes to some extent but she will not perfect the ability for another 3 to 5 months. Neither will she have much perception of depth and so will not see things in three dimensions. It is quite normal for a baby’s eyes to cross briefly until her eye muscles strengthen and mature over the next few months. By 4 to 5 months old she will be able to move her eyes together and follow moving objects. She will also be able to distinguish colours. When she reaches the age of 3 or 4 months she will definitely be recognising your face and will react positively when she sees you. Vision is the only sense that is not stimulated prior to birth but it develops so dramatically that within the first 6 months acuity can improve to about 20/30. It is important that you talk to your baby’s doctor if you have any concerns at all regarding your newborn’s eyesight. By 6 to 9 months of age baby can focus well and will enjoy being able to see other babies; this will be a good time to include a baby safe mirror amongst her toys. By 9 to 12 months baby’s eyes and brain can work together. She can see toys across a room and will look for a toy if you show it to her and then hide it from view.
For information on how your babies eyes develop before they are born visit www.pregnancy-information-guide.com
For more information on eyesight Click newborns eyesight
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