Welcome back dear parents, today we will see when newborns begin to see with all the steps month by month on their eyesight development.
For newborns, eyesight is not exactly something that they can control from the beginning, in fact, it takes time for them to achieve visual coordination as well as being able to fully see the things around them, a path that lasts months and during which their eyesight changes considerably, continue reading to see all the steps!
Table of contents
At what age do newborns start to see?
Newborns can see almost immediately but only up to about 30 cm away.
As soon as they leave their mother’s womb, newborns are very sensitive to light, so it takes a while before they can see anything.
The eyes are an organ that is already formed inside the womb, so at birth newborns already have the entire visual apparatus ready to function.
The case of premature babies is different, who can be born with closed or even fused eyelids.
How do newborns see
It is common to think that newborns cannot see at birth, but in reality this is not the case as we have seen, in fact they can see although with some difficulty in perceiving movements, colors and shapes that will not be perfect at the beginning.
This is due to their sensitivity to light, this is because the eyes still have to get used to the bright environment that surrounds them, furthermore the cone of the eyes has yet to mature, and this is why at the beginning they will not be able to perceive all the colors.
In the first months of life newborns perceive large objects and intense contrasts of light/dark, it is only in the following months that the perception of colors improves significantly.
All the steps on the development of newborns’ eyesight
The visual development of newborns follows fairly precise stages, and during the passing of the months the eyesight changes until it is completely settled.
In the first month newborns see up to about 30 cm but are not able to coordinate their eyes, this is the case of strabismus in newborns, a completely normal and transitory phenomenon that will disappear in the following months.
- A 4-month-old baby is already able to coordinate his eyes, to follow his parents and moving objects with his gaze, his eyesight improves to the point of seeing even distant objects, colors are clearer
- At the sixth month, children can see small objects, they can distinguish faces by associating them with the voice.
- At the eighth month, the color of the eyes becomes definitive, finally recognizing people even from a distance and his eyes can be compared to those of an adult
- At twelve months, the child, thanks to well-developed eyesight, will have a better perception of spaces and dimensions
- It is only around the age of 4 that the child will develop his eyesight to the point of reaching his 10\10, and it is only at this age that the measurement of his eyesight will be truly valid and effective
Problems in newborn eyesight
Complications during the development of newborn eyesight can occur, and knowing how to recognize the first warning signs can help to intervene promptly.
In fact, you should be concerned when your newborn, starting from the fourth month, does not follow you with his gaze, seems to be absent, or continues to have neonatal strabismus.
From the fourth month, eye coordination should already be fully developed and if one eye continues to lean inwards, it is best to consult your pediatrician.
Also at this age, newborns are already able to follow their parents with their gaze, albeit slowly, which is why if the newborn is not yet able to do so, it could be a sign of complications at the level of eyesight.
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NewbornTips, The Editorial Team
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