Eyesight: When Can Your Baby See?
Your baby can already see when it is born. However, not so well, because it has not yet been able to properly train its eyes in your stomach. Find out here when your baby can see properly and how its eyesight develops.
Newborns see blurry
Your baby’s small eyes are quite well developed at birth, but they are not yet able to see clearly. Because it was too dark in your stomach to properly train your eyesight. After birth, your baby first learns to deal with the brightness. In the next few days, your eyesight will also become sharper: your baby can see clearly what is no further than about 25 centimeters away. So it can recognize your face when you hold it in your arms and study it in peace. Everything that is in the background appears blurred to your baby. That’s a good thing, because it allows your baby to concentrate better on one thing. It cannot yet process too many impressions, they would only irritate your baby. Your baby can also recognize colors from the start. Only the distinction between similar color tones, such as red and orange, is still difficult for him. So it is not surprising that your baby can easily recognize large objects with strong contrasts, such as black on white.
Vision in the second to third month of life
By around two to three months, your baby will be able to move his eyes and head so that he can fixate on an object more precisely and perceive movement. For example, if you hold an object in front of his face and slowly move it back and forth, he will be able to follow it with his eyes. Overall, your baby can already see better than just a few weeks ago: for example, it can recognize you from a greater distance and also distinguish colors better and better. You can support this development by often giving your baby the opportunity to observe his surroundings and movements.
Vision in the fourth to sixth month of life
Your baby is becoming more and more aware of its environment. It looks longer and longer at even smaller objects and begins to reach for them. This is how the development of hand-mouth-eye coordination begins. While your baby was previously only able to see in two dimensions, it can now also perceive spatial depths. Differences in color shades and shapes are becoming increasingly clear to your baby.
Vision in the seventh to ninth month of life
Following fast movements is no longer a problem for your baby. Your baby can still see near better than far, but his distance vision has improved a lot. This allows your baby to easily recognize people and objects at the other end of a room.
Vision in the tenth to twelve months of life
Before the age of one year, your baby’s visual acuity and depth perception is almost as mature as that of an adult. Your baby can control the movements of his eyes, focus on objects and see details. What is further away becomes more and more interesting for your baby. It is becoming more and more agile and will discover a lot of new things. Your baby is now experiencing the world holistically, it is not yet able to hide things.
Your child’s visual acuity will continue to improve over time. At about three years of age, visual performance is usually optimal.
This is how you help your baby to sharpen their eyesight
Your baby’s sense of sight develops primarily through experience and practice. You can support your baby from the start with simple measures:
- Babies are born with the ability to recognize faces and love to watch them. So give your baby the opportunity to observe and analyze your face as often as possible.
- Arouse your baby’s curiosity and show him high-contrast toys or household items. It is best to pay attention to clear contours and three-dimensional shapes. For example, a mobile that not only invites your baby to focus better with colors and shapes, but also supports its grasping reflex at the same time is particularly suitable.
- Go outside a lot with your baby and let it discover the world. However, give it regular breaks so that it can process its impressions and is not overstimulated.
problems with vision
Your child’s eyes will of course always be checked as part of the U-examinations . In general, the earlier a visual impairment is detected in your child, the greater the chance that it can be corrected. If you notice any abnormalities in your child, speak to your pediatrician immediately. You should also do this if you notice the following points:
- At three to four months, your baby is not yet able to fixate properly or follow a movement with his eyes
- Your baby cannot move one or both eyes in all directions
- Your baby is squinting outwards
- Your baby is almost always squinting inward
Your baby can see by itself. With targeted activities, such as regularly showing objects or going for walks, you can help them discover the world and sharpen their senses.