VISION DEVELOPMENT

Can I Stimulate My Baby's Eye Development ?

In this critical first year, your baby’s brain and eyes begin to coordinate images and remember what they’ve seen.

As a parent, you can participate in your newborn’s eye development and health as a normal part of your time with your baby.

Proper stimulation can increase curiosity, attention span, memory, and nervous system development. So be sure to give your baby plenty of interesting things to see.

The First Three Months of Eye Development   

Newborns can only focus about eight to 12 inches from their face, and they see only black, white and gray. As early as the first week, your baby begins to respond to movement and begins to focus on your face. Soon your baby will smile when you come close. This is an important sign that your baby sees and recognizes you – a joyful moment for any parent.

Over the next ten to 12 weeks, you will notice your baby following moving objects and recognizing things, especially toys and mobiles with bold, geometric patterns. As their color vision begins to develop, babies will see red first – then they will see the full spectrum of colors

When Do Babies Begin To See Clearly ?

Depth perception and eye-hand coordination begin to develop when infants reach four months. From four to six months, your baby begins to reach out and touch an object – something that previously only happened by chance.

By six months, your child’s vision can already be as good as 20/20, which is what we commonly think of as “normal.” You’ll see how eyesight becomes a crucial element in your baby’s ability to coordinate full-body movements such as standing and walking.

When Does a Baby's Hand Eye Coordination Develop?

From 8 to 12 months, the connection between eyes, movement, and memory is strong as your baby approaches his or her first birthday. In the past year you’ve probably noticed tremendous improvements in your baby’s attempts to
roll a ball, pick up small toys and objects.

Activities that encourage hand-eye coordination, like playing with stacking boxes and rings, blocks or snap-together toys, will help strengthen your baby’s ability to see an object, touch it, and remember things about it.