What Can Babies See?

by Dr. Pamela Bandelaria, pediatrician

It is always a joy to see a baby. Having a baby gives light to a room and a smile to people's faces. But have you ever wondered what babies can see? When do they start to see our smiles? Even before your baby learns to sit, crawl, walk or talk, your baby’s eyes are already silently observing and absorbing information about the surroundings. In this article, you will find out how your babies develop their vision, when babies start to see, how their vision develops, and how to bond with your babies with their vision development in mind.

What is the difference between an infant eye and an adult eye?

Your baby is not born with a mature visual system. When your baby is born, the size of their eyes will already be around 60% of their adult size. They experience the greatest growth observed in the first year. As your baby continues to grow, their eyes also change to form a more spherical shape. The light color of the iris at birth also changes and becomes more intense as the pigmentation in that area increases. The immature iris muscles make the pupils difficult to dilate during infancy which also affects their vision. In fact, children tend to be more farsighted until the age of 7 years old. There are different parts of the eye, each with its own function. Due to the immaturity of your baby's vision at birth, it grows and develops as your baby does. With maturation, the eyes begin to detect color and movement, perceive depth or spatial awareness and regulate the amount of light that enters the eye. As a consequence, what the baby can perceive and see changes as well, allowing for more perception and recognition. Vision is one of the most essential senses, helping your baby adapt to and interact with her surroundings. 

What can a one-week-old see?

What can a newborn infant see? Can they even see at all? These are common questions you might ask. Because babies do not do much more than sleep and eat, it is normal that your newborn will have their eyes closed more than they keep them open. At birth, your baby's eyes will be sensitive to bright lights. A baby at birth will have a visual acuity of 20/400, which is relatively poor, and so their vision will be blurry. This poor visual sense can be attributed to immature parts of the eye at birth that will continue to develop as the baby grows. However, as the weeks pass, your baby will eventually be able to see better, react to light and focus on specific points.

At this age, the function of the eye is to perceive social stimuli and recognize familiar faces and movements. One of the first visual points that your baby can focus on is your face, especially when feeding your baby. They can only perceive objects from 8 to 10 inches away from their face, which is just about the distance when you are carrying your baby and feeding them. By the second week of life, your baby will be more interested in large objects, and by two months old, they can follow objects from left to right. Focusing on your face will be easier for them, and they will have attained eye coordination, with both eyes working together.

When do baby's recognize faces?

During the first month, your baby can already see, however, only at close distances. At this stage, the most interesting thing in their surroundings will be your face. Babies also have different reactions to different facial expressions. The establishment of good eye contact with parents occurs at around six weeks. You may notice that your baby will respond to you even as early as the first week, which signifies that he or she recognizes you. If this is not observed after the second month, it is best to bring your baby to a physician for evaluation. Inability to establish eye contact can be a cue that your baby has visual problems.

What age can my baby see clearly?

As mentioned earlier in this article, the visual acuity of the newborn is poor. During the first weeks of life, the baby's vision is blurry. However, this develops and improves as your baby grows, especially during the first year of life. The development of the eyes is such that the peripheral vision develops before central vision. They will also be able to first see light and dark shadows followed by colors and shapes. By around the first month of life, your baby can see close objects, and by the age of three months, your baby's eyes will begin to develop to see things at farther distances. Hand-eye coordination begins to develop at around 4 to 5 months, at around the time your baby can also attempt to reach out and touch objects. Your baby will have a visual acuity of 20/100 at around six months of age and a visual acuity similar to adults (20/30-20/20) around 2-3 years old.

How long do babies see black and white? What colors do babies see first?

At birth, your baby will mostly have her eyes closed. When they are open, they usually see in black and white and can see light and dark shadows due to the immaturity of the newborn eye. The cells located in the eye that are responsible for detecting color are still not fully developed at this time. As this develops, your baby's vision improves, and they can see more and recognize more. Babies may begin to recognize color by the end of the first month. They see red first because it has the longest wavelength among the color spectrum that humans can visualize and can easily be perceived by babies at shorter distances. Color vision is fully developed at around 4 to 5 months of age. By this time, your baby can see the full spectrum of colors.

What can babies see at three months?

At the three-month mark, there is continuous development and refinement of facial recognition. Your baby may be more interested in human faces, focusing on eyes and facial expressions. It is evident as your baby may react to changes in emotions and movement of your eyes and face. It is also at around this time that your baby can use both eyes to see well, medically known as binocular vision. Accommodation, which is the process where the eye adjusts to see objects located at different distances, also develops and improves. Both of these developments allow your baby to have spatial awareness, and they can perceive distance. They also begin to perceive depth at around this time, usually closer to the five-month mark. However, by three months, it is clear that they can now perceive objects that are farther from them (objects a few feet away). The baby begins to reach for objects at around four months old, and the eye's development prepares for this as well.

It is important to note that by three months old, a baby also begins to coordinate eye movement. Their eyes can also track or follow objects at this time. If there is a deviation of the eye or eye coordination problems at six months old, it is best to bring your baby to a doctor for evaluation and assessment.

Is it bad for babies to watch TV?

Watching TV arouses your baby's curiosity, especially when they are exploring and perceiving the world around them, so much so that it has become a quick fix for most parents to pacify their baby. However, many studies report how screen use can affect children's rapidly developing brains and how early or excessive screen exposure can lead to poor language skills, poor attention span, concentration, or even increased risk for other child development problems. Therefore, the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics are to avoid any screen time for babies below 18 months and limit screen time for children 2 to 5 years old to only 1 hour. It is also recommended that children are not left alone when watching, and parents are encouraged to co-view and supervise the babies' content.

How do I bond with my newborn?

Bonding with your newborn baby is one of the most precious and joyful moments of your life. Your baby will not be young forever, so it is best to make the most out of this time before you witness all the milestones that your baby will achieve as they continue to grow and explore the world around them. Because your baby will sleep most of the time, the most advantageous way to bond with your newborn is by cuddling and holding them. It will give your baby a feeling of warmth, safety, and security. Another way to bond with your baby is to regularly talk to them, tell them stories, or sing them some songs or lullabies. It will help your baby recognize your voice as they begin to recognize your face and eventually associate one with the other. A calm, gentle and reassuring tone will soothe your baby and make them feel that they are in a safe environment. Looking at your baby while singing, talking, or making different facial expressions will also create a great emotional attachment that your baby to which your baby will respond. It is also essential to set a mood that is calm and safe for your baby.

One of the best feelings as a parent is to know that you are present in your baby's life. One way this can manifest is by seeing that your baby recognizes you and can respond to your face, voice, and touch. Although your baby's eyes are not fully developed at birth and their vision is blurry, they can still perceive things at a close distance and have other senses that can let them recognize your presence. As your baby grows and their eyes develop, the way we bond with them can change to accommodate these changes to maximize how they explore the world. These moments early on in your baby's life are very precious; wherein there is nothing else that matters in your baby's life except you. Enjoy these moments and enjoy watching your baby grow!