How Long Does it Take a Newborn to See Clearly?

Experiencing the growth of the senses is one of the many joys of having a newborn child. A baby is born with eye structures needed for vision but must learn how to use them together for sight. While newborns do not see quite clearly, they can see quite a bit. 

A newborn baby can sense light and motion at birth; they can later grow into differentiating faces and large forms. A baby will make eye contact and concentrate on items about 12 inches off by the end of the first month.

How Newborns See Colours 

Babies can notice highly contrasting items, such as black and white patterns, checkerboards, and other opposing pairs of colors. Be sure to give your baby several different colorful and highly contrasting things to look at, as this will help develop your baby\’s sight quicker. 

Your baby was in a dark setting while in the womb, but they have been able to distinguish between light and dark since birth. For a moment, your baby will not see all colors, but their color vision will rapidly improve. It is not clear how many colors they will see, but they would most likely not be able to see florals or brighter colors until they are about 2 or 3 months old. As their sense of depth increases, they can concentrate on objects up to 3 feet away and observe movement around them. If you move or rattle a few inches from their face from side to side, they will follow it with their eyes, an ability known as tracking.

Newborns Nearsightedness/ Temporary myopia 

Newborn infants are extremely nearsighted, which means that objects that are far away are blurry. A newborn has, in fact, little ability to concentrate further than 6 or 10 inches away. This myopia may explain why babies seem to look at objects nearby. Research has shown that infants enjoy looking at faces, but they may not see a lot of facial detail. Your baby may seem to focus on your face attentively, but they are possibly studying your hairline or your face outline. Isn\’t that just beautiful? 

Even though your baby can identify objects that are near to them, it takes more time for depth perception to improve. The eyes become capable of working together to form a three-dimensional view of the world by around the third to fifth month.

Newborn vision Pointers 

An infant is unable to see fine details, but their eyesight will quickly improve as they grow. When their sense of sight grows and they continue to be conscious of their surroundings, you can find vision pointers. Your baby\’s sight will be their most potent sense when they are six months of age. Some kids develop eyesight in six short months, which is better than some adults.

Put your baby\’s face about 6 to 10 inches away from yours during the early months. Your baby will be able to see the outline of your face, and their favorite thing to notice might probably be your face. A baby will begin recognizing facial features, such as the nose and mouth, by two to three months of age. Most babies may distinguish between the mother\’s face and the face of a stranger within three to five months. For the first year of life, a baby\’s eyesight begins to grow and improve.

The Takeaway

By the time your baby is 12 months old, your baby will be able to see pretty clearly, but their vision won\’t be formed entirely until their between 3 and 5 years old. Seek help from your child\’s healthcare practitioner if your baby is not watching things move or if they appear to have difficulty moving one or both eyes in any direction by the time they are four months of age. Their regular well-child checkups include simple vision tests, but until they are 3 to 5 years old, they probably will not have a standardized vision screening.