When will my baby see clearly?

                            

Your baby will be able to see pretty clearly by the time he's 12 months old, but his vision won't be fully developed until he's between 3 and 5 years old.

A baby's vision improves dramatically over the first year. At birth an infant can detect light and motion, then can make out faces and large shapes. By the end of the first month, a baby can make eye contact and focus on objects about 12 inches away.

By the time a baby is 3 to 4 months old, he can distinguish between colors and focus on smaller objects. As his depth perception improves, he can focus on objects up to 3 feet away and watch activity around him. If you move a rattle from side to side a few inches from his face he'll follow it with his eyes – a skill known as "tracking."

If your baby doesn't watch moving objects, or if he seems to have trouble moving one or both eyes in any direction by the time he's 4 months old, talk to his doctor. His routine well-child checkups include basic vision assessments, but he probably won't have a formal vision screening until he's 3 to 5 years old.

How to help improve your baby’s eyesight?

• Chat baby up. When you’re breast- or bottle-feeding, your face is close enough for even the youngest baby to see — and it’s also conveniently one of her favorite things to observe. So talk to her while you look her in the eyes — you’ll bond and help her begin to learn language, too.
• Hang a mobile. Babies love images with contrasting colors and patterns. So until your little one is able to sit up (at about month 3 or 4), securely hang a colorful, patterned mobile high above her crib or bouncy seat. (Just make sure to remove it as soon as she can sit to prevent her from becoming entangled).
• Mirror her. Another visual hit with babies: mirrors. While they can’t recognize themselves until about month 15, they do love seeing the changing image reflected back at them as they move.
• Bring baby along for the ride. Bring baby in a forward-facing carrier as you go about your day — whether you’re taking a walk around your neighborhood, shopping for groceries or just brushing your teeth. Describe what you see to boost her verbal development at the same time she’s observing the world around her.

Signs of baby vision problems

While many infant vision problems are only detectable by a pediatrician or an ophthalmologist, you can take a few steps to ensure early intervention on any potential issues:

• Snap photos. While “red eye” isn’t the look you’re going for, this nuisance actually shows that baby’s eyes are correctly refracting light. Pictures that show whiteness in baby’s pupils, on the other hand, indicate a condition known as leukocoria, which may signal serious problems (such as a cataract or a tumor) that require attention from a pediatrician right away.
• Watch for focus. In the first few months, it’s normal for a baby’s eyes to sometimes seem like they’re looking in different directions (a condition known as strabismus). However if this continues past 4 months, take your child to a pediatrician for an evaluation. Same goes if your baby doesn’t seem to focus on your face and instead appears to be looking through or around you, or if she consistently seems to be looking off to one side.
• Check if she’s interested in objects. If by around month 4 your baby can’t track objects or by month 7 doesn’t seem interested in any new visuals you show her (like that bright new toy you just bought), check in with your doctor.
• Monitor for other eye issues. Other symptoms that needs to take to the doctor include bulging eyes, eyes that seem to quickly flutter up and down or side to side, constant redness or wateriness, sensitivity to light, itchy eyes or eye pain.

If you notice any of the above or any other visual issues that don’t seem quite right, don’t hesitate to bring baby to the doctor for an exam.