Here’s what to know about how your baby’s vision develops.
Immediately after they’re born, babies begin learning how to do… well, everything. Their first months are spent figuring out how to move their fingers and toes, make facial expressions, and communicate. And at the same time, they’re learning how to see.
While their eyes are probably already sending information to their brains just fine, babies nevertheless need to work at certain skills that are as instinctive as breathing for adults. Focusing their eyes, tracking movement, locating sounds, and hand-eye coordination are all learned skills that develop over the first few months of life. That means that if your baby has an undiagnosed vision problem, it could hold back the development of important fundamental skills—ones that also support later learning and progress.
Babies’ vision changes as quickly as they do in their first few months. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that infants get a vision screening as a newborn, and then again between six and twelve months of age. That way, you and your care provider have the opportunity to manage any conditions or concerns as early as possible.
And of course, vision care remains important as your child grows up. Just like adults, children benefit from an annual comprehensive eye exam. It sets a baseline for their eye health, so that you and their care provider can identify changes when and if they occur.
Here are a few of the key things to know about your baby’s vision, how it develops, and what to watch for to encourage healthy vision in your child.
Babies’ vision is constantly changing
Newborn babies don’t see the world like adults do. They usually respond best to high-contrast images like bold, black-and-white patterns, and their focus is clearest around eight to ten inches from the face. Their eyes aren’t working together seamlessly yet, and might wander or go crossed. All of this is normal in the first two months, though if anything worries you, you should always talk to your care provider.
Your baby’s vision will develop and change rapidly, and problems at this early age are uncommon. There are, however, a few things to watch out for:
- Redness that doesn’t go away within a few days
- Swelling around the eye
- Crust or discharge (can indicate infection)
- Extreme sensitivity to light (can be a sign of high pressure inside the eye)
- Excessive tears (can mean a blocked tear duct)
- Eyes turned inward or outward all or almost all of the time (can indicate muscle problems)
If you notice any of these symptoms, be sure to check in with your care provider as soon as possible.
Vision symptoms might appear in a toddler’s behavior
As your child gets older and their vision develops, the first signs of common vision conditions can appear. Some of these issues are easier to spot than others—crossed eyes, for example—but problems like blurry vision from refractive errors may not be something your child understands or can express to you.
Refractive errors
“Refractive error” is a general term for when the eye doesn’t focus light correctly, resulting in a blurry image. It covers some of the most common vision problems overall, like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Signs of refractive errors in toddlers can include:
- Excessive eye rubbing, in response to soreness or eye strain
- Squinting to see more clearly
- Holding books or screens closer to the face, or sitting closer to the television
- Tilting their head or covering one eye
Noticing these behaviors happening regularly could mean that your child is trying to compensate for blurriness in their vision, and is a good sign that it’s time to book an appointment with your care provider.
Other common conditions
Beyond refractive errors, other eye conditions you may notice are:
- Amblyopia (lazy eye): Amblyopia occurs when the brain starts to prefer input from one eye over the other, which can happen if one eye is blurry, cloudy, misaligned, or otherwise impaired. Vision in the “weaker” eye decreases as the brain essentially ignores it. Amblyopia can often be resolved with glasses or an eyepatch, to encourage the brain to use the weaker eye.
- Strabismus (eye misalignment): Strabismus can have a range of causes, including muscle problems, issues in the brain or nerves, injuries, and illnesses. With strabismus, the eyes don’t look at the same thing at the same time. They might be crossed, point outward, or look up and down. Strabismus can cause amblyopia, and might be treated with glasses or, in some cases, surgery.
- Convergence insufficiency: Blurry or double vision, eye strain, and headaches can result when the eyes don’t cooperate well on close-up objects. Trouble focusing their eyes on a book can also make it harder for a child to learn to read. Glasses can help to correct the problem, and older children might be assigned therapeutic exercises as well.
You can promote healthy vision development in your child
There are some simple things you can do to help your baby as they learn how to see. In general, providing gentle visual stimulation that’s appropriate for their age—which is to say, things they can look at, reach, and interact with safely—will give babies a chance to practice using their eyes and coordinating their vision with the rest of their body. That might include:
- Placing toys in view that babies can reach for
- Changing your baby’s view regularly
- Hanging a mobile for your baby to watch
- Talking to your baby as you move around the room
- Providing plenty of crawling time and tactile toys to encourage hand-eye coordination
For more suggestions, categorized by age, see the American Optometric Association’s list of activities.
In addition, because eye health is an essential part of whole body health (and vice versa), making healthy choices for your child across the board will support their developing vision. Including eye-healthy foods in your diet, encouraging play and exercise, and taking advantage of your child’s annual eye exam will all help to keep their eyes healthy and their vision as strong as possible.
Vision care runs in our family. We want to help you protect yours.
Accessible vision care is a family mission for us at Heritage, because we’ve seen firsthand the benefits that it can have in children’s lives. That’s why we’ve built a nationwide network of handpicked providers who offer the high-quality care that you and your family deserve.
If you have questions about your child’s eye health, find a Heritage provider today, and connect with a family that is dedicated to supporting yours as you grow.