When Do Babies Start To See?
The sense of sight makes up a significant percentage of what human beings perceive of the outside world. Its development begins from the moment of birth and goes through different stages. Below, we detail each moment since the babies begin to see.
When they are born, a characteristic feature of babies is to keep their eyes wide open most of the time. It tends to fall into the erroneous belief that newborns seek to examine this whole new world ; however, they actually see practically nothing.
As much as their eyes remain open, in those first minutes of life they still do not begin to see babies. Like the other senses, the sight will progress gradually and the little one will have to get used to it little by little.
Sight in the first month of life
A newborn baby is able to notice contrasts and changes in lighting. For example, they can perceive flickering lights or notice when, from the dark, we illuminate a room. At that moment the reflex action of the pupils to close so as not to be dazzled is activated.
As the days go by, you will begin to distinguish figures, although somewhat diffuse. The face of the mother, on the other hand, will be one of the first elements that it will detect ; Beyond what your eyes tell you, your touch, feeling the mother’s scent and noticing her warmth and voice will contribute to this end.
At about two weeks, you will be able to see objects at about 10 inches with some clarity. For this reason, he will be able to observe his mother while she breastfeeds him.
However, it will not be for a month or two that you will be able to focus well; Also, you will not be able to see at a distance greater than 12 inches without squinting.
So when do babies start to see?
From about the second month of life, the baby already has some control of his vision, which allows him to fix his gaze on a point and see it better. You will notice, at this stage, that he has a special interest in bright colors and things that shine.
Before, they were not able to differentiate similar colors, but rather they noticed the contrasts between, for example, black and white. As the weeks of the third month go by, its color gamut widens.
As of this third month, the baby is precise enough with his sight to notice more details, such as buttons on a garment or some particular feature of his toys.
Later, entered in the fourth month of life, it could be said that he entered the final stretch of the process. At this time, the baby gradually acquires the following abilities:
- Follow faces and objects with your eyes.
- Distinguish colors more accurately.
- See further.
- Look for things with your eyes.
At around seven months, at last, the baby reaches the full development of his sense of sight. Of course, this is not a mandatory parameter for every little one: each one will carry their own maturation rhythm.
Sight doesn’t just depend on the eyes
Like so many other human processes, sight depends on the ‘central command’ that drives everything we do: the brain. Therefore, although the baby’s eyes are fit from the 26th week of gestation, his brain is not yet developed enough to process this information.
You must understand the growth of a baby as a whole, not by independent parts. As the organs of sight reach their fullness, your nervous system will also learn to make the connections necessary to interpret their signals.
These improvements can be noticed, mainly, in the coordination of the movements of your eyes. Subsequently, they will also greatly influence the sharpness of the images they perceive and their ability to interpret them.
On the other hand, consider also that the movements of the muscles of the back and neck allow the child to direct his gaze to different places. It is normal, then, that you only begin to focus on your environment when you are able to explore it as you wish; it usually occurs after 10 weeks of life.
Tips for taking care of your baby’s eyesight
- Do not expose it to sunlight for long periods.
- Perform the ophthalmological controls suggested by the pediatrician.
- In addition to complying with breastfeeding in the first six months, later incorporate healthy and nutritious foods.
- Cut his nails and take care not to injure himself with his hands or put objects in his eyes.
With these basic care, your children will promote visual health that will allow them to avoid problems in the future. From the moment babies begin to see, we must treat their sight for what it is: one of the most important human senses.
