Infant Vision Development: What Can Babies See?

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In This Section Healthy Children > Ages & Stages > Baby > Infant Vision Development: What Can Babies See? Ages & Stages Infant Vision Development: What Can Babies See? Click here to insert a picture from SharePoint. Click here to insert a picture from SharePoint. Page Content

A baby's vision develops quickly during the first year of life.

  • Newborns: During the early weeks after birth, your baby can see light, shapes and faces. They can also detect movement. A newborn's distance vision is pretty blurry though.Your newborn can best see things that are about 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) away. This is roughly the distance from their eyes to yours as you are nursing or feeding your baby.

Is it normal for a newborn's eyes to wander?

It can take a little time for babies to learn how to use both eyes together. So, a newborn's eyes may occasionally "wander," cross or move randomly. This random movement should be going away by 2 to 3 months of age.

  • By 3 months: Babies should be able to focus on faces and close objects. They should also be able to follow a moving object with their eyes.

  • By 4 months: Infants this age can use their vision to detect objects close to them, which they will often reach for and grasp. They are now better at seeing colors and different shades of them, too. They may show extra interest in circular patterns like bull's-eyes and spirals. This is one reason infants love to look at faces, full of round shapes and curves.

  • By 6 months: Your baby should be able to see differences between objects and use this information to identify them.

First birthday & beyond

Between 1 and 2 years of age, your child's ability to see will develop rapidly. By ages 3 to 5 years old, a child with normal vision will typically see as well as an adult. And by the time your child is 10, their visual system will be fully mature.

At this point, eye and vision problems that start early may no longer be able to be reversed or corrected. That's why early detection and treatment of eye problems in children is so important. Your pediatrician will examine your baby's eyes at each routine well-child visit.

Regular eye exams are important to identify problems that may arise later in childhood.

More information

  • Vision Screenings for Babies & Children

  • Warning Signs of Vision Problems in Children

  • Newborn Eye Color

Article Body Last Updated 11/5/2024 Source Adapted from Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age Five 8th edition (Copyright © 2024 American Academy of Pediatrics) The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances. Follow Us Back to Top

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