Can You See What I See?

Once it was believed that newborn babies could not see. We now know that they can see, just not very clearly. Their vision is 20/400, which means they see objects close up (at a distance of 8 to 12 inches) best. That works out to be the distance between the baby´s face and his mother´s when she feeds him, or dad´s when he holds him close. This skill enables the parents and baby to fall in love and form a strong parent-child bond.

Newborns are able to see the outlines of objects and the contrasts of objects but not the details. For example, in the first few weeks, as your baby looks at your face, he focuses on your hairline, eyes and mouth because the contrast between these facial features and the rest of your face make them clearer. A newborn can follow an object with his eyes a little ways. At one month, he can follow the object from left to right.

Babies enjoy looking at faces best of all – especially yours. When your face isn´t available, your baby enjoys looking at pictures of faces or faces on toys. The next best things he will enjoy looking at are black and white objects since the colors contrast so well.

At first, a newborn´s eyes are not able to turn toward each other to follow objects moving toward him. This skill, called convergence, does not develop until a baby is two to three months old. Until then, it is believed that he sees two images of an approaching object.

By the time your baby is three months, he is able to use his eyes to coordinate hand movements and is able to see several feet away. By three to four months, he´ll be able to see objects from across the room.

No one is really sure how well babies perceive colors at birth, but common sense leads us to believe that if everything is blurred, then surely colors are as well. By three to four months of age, babies see colors they way adults do, and they can discriminate between different shades. Babies seem to prefer colors that are vivid over those that are muted. For example, they like to look at an object that is bright red as opposed to one that is a rust color.

You may notice that your baby appears to be crossed eyed. This can be an optical illusion in some babies. The broad bridge of a baby´s nose and the folds near the inside corners of a baby´s eyes may make it look like the eyes are turning in. However, the inner muscles are stronger so that as babies look around, their eyes may cross temporarily. If the eyes stay crossed, you should talk to your baby´s doctor to see what the problem is.

Eye coordination is well developed by the time a baby is four to six months old. Again, if you notice an eye continuing to cross after that age, talk to your baby´s doctor.

Depth and three-dimensional perception is achieved by five to six months of age. Just about all experts agree that by age one, a baby´s vision is very close to an adult´s, except for maybe a little blurring. In other words, a baby can see Grandma´s smiling face, minus the wrinkles.

What can you do to stimulate your newborn´s vision skills? The part of your baby´s brain that controls vision requires sensory stimulation to develop properly. A normal environment with caring family members is usually all it takes. The normal day-to-day interactions are great experiences for babies and you probably don´t have to worry about whether they´re getting enough visual stimulation. But, offering a little bit extra certainly can´t hurt and may possibly jump-start your baby´s sight development.

Since babies love looking at their parents, when you hold him close and talk to him, try exaggerating your facial expressions. Place an unbreakable mirror on the rails of his crib so your baby can look at his own reflection. And, since newborns can´t see in color for the first three months, have plenty of black-and-white toys for him to look at, especially those with sharply contrasting patterns, like checkers or stripes. Hanging a mobile, with horizontally hanging pieces, over the crib or changing table also helps your baby develop eye-tracking skills. The best stimulation you can provide for your baby is to hold him on your shoulder and stroll around as he takes in all there is to see!

Protect your baby´s eyes from bright light, both sunlight and reflected glare. Be sure he is in the shade, wears a brimmed hat, or stays under an umbrella. Sunglasses are good but make sure they state that they have 100% ultraviolet filtration. Toy sunglasses make the area around the eyes dark, causing the baby´s pupils to dilate and allow more harmful rays into the eyes.

Although they seem scary, most newborn vision problems are correctable, especially with early diagnosis and treatment. The key is to trust your judgment. Whenever you are concerned about your baby´s vision, do not hesitate to bring it to your doctor´s attention.

Here are some warning signs of vision loss you need to watch for:

• Birth - Doesn´t stare at a human face or vividly patterned object.
• 1 to 2 months - Will not follow a bright object; eyes wander or appear crossed.
• 3 to 4 months - Can´t see you from across the room; doesn´t reach for objects.
• Any age – Doesn´t see objects unless they are held close.
• Turns sideways or tilts head at an unusual angle to look at objects.
• Has persistent redness in or around eyes, or swelling or a discharge from eyes.
• One or both eyelids droop.
• The colored part of one or both eyes appears cloudy.
• Shows excessive tearing, light sensitivity, squinting, or blinking.
• Rubs eyes frequently.
• An eye flutters.
• Appears to be groping when offered a bottle.