Infant Vision Birth to One Year (2024)

Infant Vision Birth to One Year (1)

What does my baby see? This is a very common question for parents. This handout describes what your baby sees from birth to 1 year of age, and how you can stimulate your baby’s vision.

Birth to 1 Month of Age

At birth your baby:

  • Sees in black and white and in shades of gray.
  • Is not very light-sensitive.
  • Has eyes that are large compared to their body.
  • Has eyes that are about 65% of their adult size.

One week after birth, your baby will start to slowly develop color vision. They can also see about 8 10 10 inches away. At 6 weeks of age, a baby can see about 12 inches away.

2 Months to 3 Months

Your baby should:

  • Follow objects with their eyes. This is called tracking.
  • Recognize your face.
  • Start reaching for things.
  • Remember what they see.

For the first 2 months of life, an infant’s eyes do not work well together and may cross or wander. This usually goes away. If it continues, or if an eye is always turned in or out, talk to your baby’s doctor or health care provider.

4 Months

Your baby’s vision is clear, and now they can see farther away. They still prefer looking at you up closely. At this age, an infant uses both eyes (binocular vision) and is working on their depth perception. Encourage play time by reaching for bright objects and toys.

6 Months

Your baby’s eyes should be working together all the time. They can see colors like adults do. Play peek-a-boo and use mirrors to help develop vision.

  • The color of your baby’s eyes may change during the first 6 months. Many babies are born with blue eyes. Over time, dark pigment is made, which makes their eyes darker. Usually, the color does not change much after 6 months of age.

7 to 12 Months

Your baby is now moving around more. They are better at judging distances and grabbing objects. Babies are learning how their vision works when their body moves.

When to Call the Doctor

All infants should have regular checkups with their doctor or health care provider so they can screen for problems.

Babies that are born early (premature) are at high risk for vision problems. All premature infants should be seen by a pediatric eye doctor (ophthalmologist) by 1 to 2 years of age.

Call your baby’s doctor or health care provider if:

  • Their eyes do not work together and/or are not properly aligned in all directions.
  • Their pupils are different sizes.
  • They are not tracking items with their eye. They are staring at lights.
  • Their eyes have a lot of tearing or crusting.
  • They turn or tilt their head to one side to view objects.
  • They close one eye most of the time.
  • They are very sensitive to light.\\You are concerned about your baby’s eyes or vision.

If your baby’s regular doctor or health care provider is concerned about their eye health or visual development, they can recommend a pediatric ophthalmologist.

If there are any problems with your baby’s vision, it’s better to find them early. The earlier problems are found, the sooner they can be taken care of.

Infant Vision: Birth to 1 Year (PDF)
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HH-IV-108 • ©2014, revised 2023 • Nationwide Children's Hospital

Infant Vision Birth to One Year (2024)

FAQs

What is the vision of a 1 year old baby? ›

Now, your little one can see quite well near and far and even focus on quickly moving objects. Your baby's motor skills are working together with eyesight (hand–eye coordination), and it's likely that he or she can spot a toy across the room, focus on it, move to it, pick it up, and explore it in lots of ways.

How would you describe an infants vision after birth? ›

At birth your baby: Sees in black and white and in shades of gray. Is not very light-sensitive. Has eyes that are large compared to their body.

Which statement is most true of infant vision? ›

Expert-Verified Answer. The TRUE statement regarding infant vision is B. At around 2 or 3 months of age infants color vision is similar to that of adults. Eyes are a very important person to see life.

What is a baby's eyesight when born? ›

At birth, a newborn's eyesight is between 20/200 and 20/400. Their eyes are sensitive to bright light, so they're more likely to open their eyes in low light. Don't worry if your baby's eyes sometimes cross or drift outward (go "wall-eyed"). This is normal until your baby's vision improves and eye muscles strengthen.

Can babies see color at 1 year old? ›

Although an infant's color vision is not as sensitive as an adult's, it is generally believed that babies have good color vision by 5 months of age. Most babies start crawling at about 8 months old, which helps further develop eye-hand-foot-body coordination.

What is your one year vision? ›

Your vision is a picture of your anticipated way of life. The more clearly you can hold that picture in your mind, the more likely you'll be able to achieve it. To develop a one-year vision, answer the following questions: What was the most important issue, question, or priority you were dealing with a year ago?

Which sentence best describes newborn vision at birth? ›

Which sentence best describes newborn vision at birth? They are very nearsighted, and so they can best see things at a short distance.

What is your vision for birth? ›

A birth vision is a way for a mother to visualize and communicate her birthing intentions. The vision doesn't have to be a written template and can be shared in conversation, through a vision board, which is a visual arts and crafts item, or by other means.

What do babies eyes look like when they are born? ›

At birth, your baby's eyes may appear gray or blue due to a lack of pigment. Once exposed to light, the eye color will most likely start to change to blue, green, hazel, or brown over a period of six months to one year.

Is at birth infants vision just as accurate as that of adults? ›

Newborns have poor eyesight, in part because they did not get much visual information in the womb. At birth, the average baby's visual acuity is 20/640, 1 meaning that an object that an average adult can see 640 feet away, would need to be just 20 feet away in order for the baby to see it.

Are babies born with perfect vision? ›

While babies aren't born with perfect vision, things do begin to improve in terms of what they can see and process within months after being born. A newborn baby has relatively poor eyesight and is very nearsighted. The ideal range for them to see an object or your face is between 8 and 10 inches away.

What is true about visual development at birth? ›

While they may look intently at a highly contrasted target, babies have not yet developed the ability to easily tell the difference between two targets or move their eyes between the two images. Their primary focus is on objects 8 to 10 inches from their face or the distance to parent's face.

Are infants born with the ability to see? ›

Babies are born with a full visual capacity to see objects and colors. However, newborns cannot see very far -- only objects that are 8-15 inches away. Newborns prefer to look at faces over other shapes and objects and at round shapes with light and dark borders (such as your adoring eyes).

When do babies start seeing and hearing? ›

Newborn babies can hear – your baby has been hearing noises from well before they were born. They can see, but only see close things clearly. In the first 3 months your baby will be attracted by faces, bright lights and colours, stripes, dots and patterns, but not understand what they're seeing.

What vision are you born with? ›

We are not born with 20/20 vision. Just like we are not born as walking and talking individuals, vision is something that has to be developed in the brain. Normal visual acuity is expected to be developed by about 6 months of age, given normal conditions. Sometimes, there are barriers to normal visual development.

How can I test my 1 year olds eyesight? ›

A number of tests may be carried out to check for vision or eye problems in babies and children.
  1. The red reflex test. ...
  2. The pupil reflex test. ...
  3. Attention to visual objects. ...
  4. Snellen and LogMAR charts. ...
  5. Range of movement tests. ...
  6. Refraction test. ...
  7. Colour vision deficiency test.

When do babies' eye colors change? ›

Baby eye color usually changes in the first three to six months of life, although some children can have significant changes up until their first birthday. In a few children, eye color changes can continue for years. Most children have a stable eye color by the age of 6 years old.

What can a 1 month year old see? ›

Babies this age can focus on shapes that are close by, but see distant objects as blurry because they are nearsighted. As babies grow, eyesight improves. By the end of 3 months, they can follow a moving object, are more interested in shapes and patterns, and can spot familiar faces, even at a distance.

Is it normal for 1 year olds to stare? ›

Your baby may be staring as an early form of communication between them and the huge world around them.

References

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