What Can Your Baby See?
Birth – One Year Old
When babies are born, while some of their senses are further along, their eyes and vision are not yet fully developed. Throughout the first year of life, significant visual changes take place. It is important to recognize the different visual milestones your little one should be hitting and ensure they have appropriate eye health and eye care from the start!
Birth – 1 Month
At birth, babies see mostly in black, white, and shades of gray. Around a week after birth, they start to slowly develop color vision and can see objects best at a distance of 8-10 inches away.
1 Month – 3 Months
For the first two months, babies’ eyes do not work together and can cross or wander. While this typically goes away, if it continues, an eye check is warranted. Around 3 months, Babies begin learning to track objects and follow where they move in the room with their eyes. They begin recognizing the faces of those closest to them.
4 Months
At 4 months of age, your baby’s vision is clear and they can see farther distances away! At this age, babies use both eyes (binocular vision) and are working on understanding where objects are at in space.
5 Months - 6 Months
The development of color is still occurring and while color is not as vibrant as an adult’s, at 5 months, babies are believed to have good color vision. They can form 3D views of the world and see objects in-depth. Playing games such as peek-a-boo and using mirrors can further help develop vision. The color of your baby’s eyes may also still be changing as darker pigments are made. If your baby’s eyes change color or darken at this point, that is normal. They often do not change color much after 6-9 months.
7 Months - 12 Months
As your baby is becoming more and more mobile, they are better at judging distances and grabbing objects. Babies learn more about how their vision works and develop better hand-eye coordination when their body is moving so keep encouraging them to explore their world!
When Should My Baby See an Eye Doctor?
Even if no eye or vision problems are apparent, our doctors recommend bringing your baby in for their first eye exam between 6-9 months. This exam is quick and looks at things such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, eye movement ability, eye alignment, and lazy eye development as well as the overall health of your baby’s eyes.
