5 Facts You Didn't Know About Your Baby's Eyesight!
How you see the world when you are “knee-high to a grasshopper” is a completely different ball game. Not only do babies view their surroundings from a unique angle, but their eyes function differently to those of grown adults too. It's at this time that they often won't suffer from issues with eyesight like adults, requiring glasses or silicone hydrogel contact lenses. Little do many of us know that there are so many amazing things that happen to a child’s vision in their first year of life. Newborns will go from not seeing more than a few feet in front of them, to progressing to the vision that helps them navigate their way around the world with full force.
While the twinkle in your baby’s eye is enough to melt your heart and make you fall utterly in love, you might be interested to know that there’s more to that sparkle. Here we have 5 facts about your baby’s eyesight that will help you to understand how your little one’s vision develops and progresses.
1. Fact Number One
Did you know that a newborn’s first few weeks of life is met with shades of grey? That is, they can only see variants of black and white. So, while parents tend to decorate nurseries using bright colours with the intention of stimulating their baby’s visual muscles, this practice is, in fact, futile. As they grow and develop, they will eventually start to see colours and distinguish between the different shades. While they are still fresh out the oven, it will be difficult for your baby’s eyes to focus on one thing and it’s not uncommon for their eyes to wander from your face, for instance.
2. Fact Number Two
When babies reach the 3-4-month mark, then some significant changes in their vision begin to occur. During this crucial stage in eyesight development, an infant’s vision will sharpen and he or she will start to focus intently on close surroundings and on nearby objects. It’s at this stage that a baby will develop the skill to track things and maintain his or her focus. By the fourth month, babies can recognise more colours and they begin to pay attention to the finer details on objects.
3. Fact Number Three
Your baby is ready for their first eye exam at six months of age. While this exam is often not listed on many clinic schedules, getting your baby’s vision checked is a non-invasive procedure that will allow you to see if your little one’s sight is developing as it should. If the optician discovers any signs of visual impairment, he might be able to quickly correct it so that it does not worsen or negatively affect other milestones. This is just a precautionary measure and could even be a fun outing for the kids.
4. Fact Number Four
As babies grow and enter their 7th and 8th month, they now begin to recognise faces and objects that they see often. Their vision also becomes clear enough so that they can spot and track things across the room. It is during this stage that parents watch in awe as their kids faces light up when they see them or point at something in excitement. This is the time when kids also become more mobile, so you might want to sharpen your watch and keep an eye out yourself!
5. Fact Number Five
At 9-10 months, your baby will now have the eye colour that will stay with them all the way into adulthood. A baby is always born with blue eyes but this naturally changes as the months pass. Their eye colour can shift from blue to green, to brown, and to everything in between. Babies very rarely keep the same shade of blue eyes that they were born with.
From conception to birth and all the milestones reached thereafter, giving birth to new life is truly miraculous! It’s amazing how the senses work together to help a tiny person grow and develop so that they can have all the capabilities they need to navigate their way through life as they move towards adulthood.
