Contents
In line with its mission, the Editorial Board of MedTvoiLokony makes every effort to provide reliable medical content supported by the latest scientific knowledge. The additional flag “Checked Content” indicates that the article has been reviewed by or written directly by a physician. This two-step verification: a medical journalist and a doctor allows us to provide the highest quality content in line with current medical knowledge.
Our commitment in this area has been appreciated, among others, by by the Association of Journalists for Health, which awarded the Editorial Board of MedTvoiLokony with the honorary title of the Great Educator.
When does a newborn baby begin to see? This question is asked by many new mothers who observe their child’s development. The eyesight of a newborn baby right after birth is very poor and, above all, sensitive to strong sunlight. However, thanks to appropriate and intense stimulation, it develops very quickly and in just a few months it is close to perfection.
Development of the sense of sight during fetal life
The sense of sight is the basic and main sense of a person, thanks to which he gets to know the world around him. In the fetal life of the future baby, the eye buds appear around the 7th week of pregnancy. A week later, the eyelids begin to grow. In the 25th week of pregnancy, despite the closed eyelids, the baby begins to react to the strong light streams that reach him through the mother’s abdominal wall. Two weeks later, the retina is formed and the baby begins to open his eyes.
When a newborn baby begins to see – the first weeks of life
There is a misconception that babies can see absolutely nothing after they are born. Newborns can see immediately after birth, but what they see is slightly different from what adults can see. In the first weeks of life, the baby’s vision is not sharp, which means that objects and backgrounds often blend into one. Objects approx. 20-30 cm away, especially those in contrasting colors, gain the best sharpness. Therefore, the youngest children should buy books or toys with contrasting colors. Then they perceive the most opposing colors, i.e. black and white. In the first weeks of life, the child does not register the three-dimensional nature of the picture and the world, and also sees upside down. During this period, sight is the least developed sense. The sense of touch is much more developed, which is why the child needs as much closeness as possible to mum or dad at this time.
When a newborn baby begins to see – the first months of life
In the second and third months of life, the baby is still color blind, but his eyesight begins to sharpen. In addition, the child begins to register that the world is three-dimensional. This time is also the period when the baby is able to remember and recognize faces, which is why it is not uncommon for a newborn to have a delicate smile at the familiar sight of mom or dad’s face. Additionally, the child begins to follow moving objects or people with his eyes. Toys and books for a child should still be based on contrasting colors, because the pastel range of colors will be unreadable for a toddler.
When does a newborn see well and clearly?
Most toddlers have a perfectly developed sense of sight when they are around 10 months old. Although it is theoretically assumed that a child’s eyesight becomes clear and sharp on average after the first year of life. However, in the earlier months, this sense also sharpens significantly and the baby is able to see, remember and recognize many objects in the environment. In addition, most colors, the baby can distinguish as early as 4 months of age. During this time, it is worth hanging the toys over the child’s bed, because such a gadget will surely interest the learning world of the toddler. In order for a child’s eyesight to develop correctly and dynamically, it is worth providing him with the appropriate conditions for the development of this sense, i.e. offering specific games, watching color books and getting to know the world by combining the senses of sight, touch and hearing.