There isn’t much to look at in the womb, so babies aren’t born with perfect eyesight. In fact, just like crawling and walking, focusing the eyes and coordinating their movements has to be learned slowly over time. Below are some interesting facts about how eyesight develops in children, and some signs they may need to see an eye doctor.

5 Facts About Fetal Eye Development

1. Infants Have Short Visual Ranges

At birth, your infant’s eyes naturally focus approximately eight to 10 inches from their face and don’t have the ability to move quickly between targets. At this stage, they usually don’t even know what they’re looking at and may only be able to see high color contrasts.

2. Babies Learn to Recognize Faces Quickly

By eight weeks of age, most babies will have learned to focus and start recognizing your faces. They’ll also start to react to more visual stimuli and tracking objects as they move across their field of vision.

3. Wandering or Crossed Eyes Are Normal

Many parents are concerned when the infant’s eyes appear to be crossed or wander. Fortunately, this is usually just a sign of poor muscular control, which eventually corrects itself. However, if your child’s eyes are still not working together after a few months, you may want to take them to the eye doctor.

4. Depth Perception Takes Months to Develop

As adults, we take three-dimensional vision for granted, but this level of eye coordination takes months to fully develop. Between five to eight months of age, your baby should start understanding the distance to various objects and start grabbing onto things.

5. You Can Promote Healthy Eye Development

Providing a stimulating environment for your infant can help promote healthy eye development. Keeping reach-and-touch toys in the crib, keeping a nightlight on, and talking to your baby as you move around the room will help them learn to focus and control the movements of their eyes. If you notice unusual signs or your child’s vision doesn’t seem to be developing normally, take them to an eye doctor for an examination.

For over 60 years, the eye doctors at Abel Klecker & Robbins have provided custom care to families throughout the Lexington, KY area. This father-daughter team and their friendly staff pride themselves on producing custom eye care programs designed around the needs of your children. Visit their website for more on their wide range of services or call (859) 269-6921 to schedule an eye doctor’s appointment.