0 - 1 month: the first glimpse of the world
At birth, a baby's vision is still very limited. Babies can only see clearly at a distance of about 20 to 30 centimeters, just enough to see the parent's face during feeding. Distant objects are blurry, and babies prefer strong contrasts and shapes. At this stage, they are often fascinated by their parents' faces, especially the eyes and mouth.
- What can they see?: Nearby objects and faces at a distance of about 20-30 cm.
- Recognition: Babies mainly recognize strong contrasts, such as black-and-white patterns.
After the first month, the baby begins to better control their eye muscles, which helps to focus both eyes on a single point. This allows them to observe objects and faces more clearly and for longer periods. Babies now start to distinguish colors, mainly bright primary colors like red and blue. They also become increasingly better at following moving objects with their eyes.
- What can they see?: Still at close range, but they start to distinguish shapes and colors better.
- Recognition: They can begin to recognize parents' faces and follow faces and objects with their eyes.
During this period, coordination between both eyes improves significantly, enhancing the baby's depth perception. This allows them to see objects farther away more clearly and to better map their surroundings. Babies also begin to see details, such as facial expressions, and show interest in smaller objects. They may start observing their hands and feet and become fascinated by movements.
- What can they see?: Objects at slightly greater distances, sharper details, and various colors.
- Recognition: They begin to recognize familiar faces, especially those of parents, brothers, and sisters.
Around this age, babies' color vision is almost fully developed. They can now distinguish subtle color differences, which helps them better understand their environment. Eye-hand coordination also improves, enabling babies to reach for and grasp objects. They can better follow objects with their eyes and begin to anticipate movements.
- What can they see?: Clear colors, faces, and objects at greater distances.
- Recognition: They can now recognize the faces of different people in their environment, as well as favorite toys and other familiar objects.
By the time a baby is six months old, their vision has already improved significantly. They can see objects clearly at different distances and show interest in everything around them. During this period, depth perception is greatly enhanced, which is essential for their growing mobility. As they learn to crawl or move around, their vision helps them better assess their surroundings.
- What can they see?: Clear vision of objects at various distances, with greatly improved depth perception.
- Recognition: They recognize faces, objects, and even daily rituals or items from their environment.
Around the age of 8 to 12 months, a baby's vision approaches that of an adult. They now have fully developed color vision and can see objects clearly both near and far. Their ability to focus and follow is also comparable to that of adults. During this period, babies learn a lot about their environment through their vision and can easily distinguish faces, objects, and even different shapes and patterns.
- What can they see?: Sharp details, colors, and movements, both near and far.
- Recognition: They can recognize faces, objects, and situations and show a strong memory for familiar people and items.
The development of vision in babies is a remarkable process. From the first blurry glance to clearly seeing faces and objects at a distance: in just 12 months, babies undergo an enormous visual transformation. Through this visual development, they become better able to understand and interact with their environment, which is crucial for their overall development.
Parents can support their baby's visual development by encouraging them with colorful objects, facial expressions, and interactions that match their developmental stage. Every moment is a new discovery in the fascinating world of sight!