When Do Babies Start to See?

You’ve heard a lot of different information about your baby’s eyesight, right? That’s why you wonder the answers to questions such as when do babies see and how do they see. You will find answers to your questions in this article!

When does the newborn baby see?

Actually, this question is kind of weird, of course your baby sees it when it’s born! But when your baby is born, he is slightly myopic, but he can see 20-30 cm away. It is very interesting that this distance is exactly the distance that he can see you when he takes your baby in his arms and breastfeeds. In other words, since your baby is always near, he will only see you, so he can easily recognize your face.

If you ask how babies see in the first month apart from this distance, we can say that it is a little blurry. They are also very sensitive to light. You can see that the baby will close his eyes tightly when exposed to light.

Let’s also say that in this process, the thing that attracts the baby’s attention will be human faces. Colors are a little more out of interest for now!

How can you tell if a newborn baby is seeing or not?

The baby’s first eye examination is done under the control of the doctor. However, since the baby is already myopic, it may not be clear whether there is a problem or not.

In the coming months, you need to be on the alert, as well as your doctor. If your baby;

• If one eye is fixed and the other eye is looking in different directions,
• If his gaze is not focused on a single object,
• If he does not try to follow when he moves his finger close to his eye,
• If he’s rolling his eyes in circular motions, you may suspect something is wrong.

When do babies start to see clearly?

After the first month, your baby’s eyesight will begin to develop rapidly. At 2-3 months old, he can turn both eyes inward to see an object near him. This movement is called convergence. In this way, the baby’s hands can begin to see more. Already when your baby is 3 months old , you will see that he often examines his hands.

The baby now begins to see distant objects more clearly and can turn both eyes outward for this. This movement is called divergence. As this ability develops, you can see it watching you from lying down or following a rotating object.

Your baby is now beginning to be interested in colors. Especially the main colors can attract attention.

In the 4-5 month period, he starts to focus on small objects such as threads and buttons, and begins to notice and reach for larger objects.

The 6-month period is a milestone in the baby’s sense of sight, as in most subjects. 6-month-old baby can now follow a falling object, depth perception has increased. In addition, now that he can sit upright, he can look in any direction he wants. That is, it does not have to look at the point in front of it, as when lying down. In other words, your baby is starting to get to know the world now.

Your baby can focus on more complex objects in this process. That’s why you can tell from his actions what he’s interested in by handing him toys.

When the baby reaches the 8th month , his eyesight approached that of an adult. He can still see things nearer better than far away, but can recognize his father or sibling sitting at the other end of the room. Since the perception of depth is also better, he reaches out to objects more easily during this period when he starts to crawl.

From the baby’s 8th to 12th month , he will further develop his depth perception and improve his eyesight. When he reaches 12 months, we can say that he sees at the same rate as you. Now that he has started to walk, his perception is wider and he can head wherever he wants, he knows what to find and where. Myopia has decreased, and his follow-up ability has improved considerably. So now it’s time for you to provide home security.

To sum it up, “When do babies start seeing?” The answer to his question will of course be from the moment he was born. As soon as the baby is born, he starts to see things, but he needs some time to gain a clear perception. If he does not have any vision problems, he will have very clear and healthy eyesight until he is 1 year old!