During an infant’s first year of life, vision is one of the senses that undergoes the most changes. While it is clear that each child is different and develops at his or her own pace, there are patterns that help us know what to expect. Therefore, at this early stage of his life, his eyesight will be checked to ensure that his development is on the right track.
Development of hand-eye coordination
Newborn babies can open their eyes as soon as they come into the world, but their vision is poor and they have no ability to focus. They are usually very sensitive to bright light, but will be able to distinguish shapes, movement and whatever is placed15 to 20 centimeters from their eyes. Everything beyond will be blurred, like the sight of a myopic adult. So, take advantage of the skin-to-skin moment to establish this first eye contact as you will be at the perfect distance for the baby to see you clearly.
Their eye muscles are not yet strong enough, so you might notice that they squint or wander. This will stop happening in a few weeks, naturally.
From one month on, he will be able to focus his eyes on objects that catch his attention and will distinguish your facial expressions when you look at him closely. Faces are a good stimulus for the baby, as he will be able to see in others a variety of emotions that he does not yet know and cannot yet replicate. Gradually, your visual capacity will increase, and you will be able to see beyond those first 20 centimeters.
At the age of two months, he will begin to follow a moving object with his eyes, and this will help him develop his eye-hand coordination. From the age of three months, they will be able to focus their attention on smaller objects and begin to distinguish colors, especially green and red.
Binocular vision and depth perception
At about four months of age, babies develop binocular vision, as their eyes have not yet learned to work well together. With this progress they acquire depth perception: it will help them understand how far away an object is and they will see the world in three dimensions.
With binocular vision, the baby understands that the world is three-dimensional.
Recognition of parents and familiar objects
At this stage, the child can already recognize his parents from a distance, see what is beyond the windows and remember an object if he has seen it before. They are also able to understand that they can use their hands to grasp objects, so when something catches their attention, they will move their hands and arms to grab it. Your accuracy will improve as you grow.
Discovering the reflection in the mirror
Something that babies find very curious as they develop their eyesight is watching themselves in front of the mirror. Until they are six months old, they will not understand that the person they see reflected is themselves. From that moment on, the reflection begins to be familiar and when they recognize each other, they react with laughter and a clear smile of satisfaction. From ten months onwards, the fun begins: you will see them playing with their hands, sucking their own image and laughing with the person they see in their reflection.
Changes in iris color
In the baby’s first year, his eyes go through a special process: the color of the iris changes during those first twelve months. Melanocytes are cells specialized in secreting melanin where it is needed. Depending on the amount, the baby’s eyes will be blue, green or brown.
Color perception and peripheral vision in first steps
At about one year of age, the baby will not yet have the perception of colors as developed as an adult, but it will be quite capable of differentiating them. With the first steps, he will acquire peripheral vision, which will be the best ally to discover his environment to the fullest.
