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What does a baby actually see?
Baby’s visual acuity
Sight is the weakest sense at birth. For several weeks, the infant lives in a world of imprecise forms. But if his vision leaves something to be desired the first few days, he is not completely lost in the haze. From birth, he can detect a slowly moving object, provided it is close to him and has high contrast. His visual acuity was then only 1 / 20th. Then his ability to distinguish details improves over the months. Thus, at 4 and a half months, he can distinguish the lead of a pencil, that is to say an acuity of 2 / 10ths. At 18 months, his visual functions are almost those of an adult, even if it still lacks 4 to 6 / 10ths of acuity.
Baby: his perception of colors
At birth, the infant sees the universe in clear / dark. Corn at the age of 5 or 6 weeks, he begins to perceive red and green and, later, around the 6th month, blue and yellow, provided the colors are very clear, vivid and saturated. A detail that has of course not escaped the toy manufacturers. At 18 months, he sees life in Technicolor but still poorly differentiates the weak shades (pastel tones).
Baby’s vision: motion detection
During the first weeks, the baby’s visual field is still very limited. If you want him to see you or follow you with his eyes, stand in front of him, close enough, and move your face or hands very slowly. At 4 and a half months, a big revolution: all of a sudden, his eye tracking ability is perfect and his retina perceives stable images. He is not only able to follow the steady movement of a clock’s pendulum, but also to observe a leaping cat. So your baby can follow you with her eyes as you move around the room or when you get her out of bed.
At the same time, he connects sight and touch. He is then perfectly at ease to appreciate the distance of an object. He uses both hands at the same time as his two eyes. This is called binocular vision. If you hand him an object, he can grab it, keep it and immediately bring it to his mouth for tactile recognition.
XNUMXD vision of a baby
At 4 and a half months, he can precisely superimpose the images from the right eye and the left eye. This superposition gives it the feeling of relief. However, his universe remains limited to 40 to 50 cm around him and to everything that remains within reach. The horizon will enlarge a little later, in direct relation to his motor capacities. When it is strong and sturdy enough to sit up or roll over when it is lying down, it will be able to grab the objects within its reach on its own, without you being able to hand it over. It will be another step towards independence. Around 9 months, new stage: he explores his little world, ventures, touches everything he sees. He easily spots the obstacles in his path, estimates the points of support on which he can count. He will see even better and further when he walks. At 1 year and a half, the structures responsible for his vision will be practically frozen, and at 6 years definitive.