Babies need to have adequate visual experiences to build the "seeing" neurons in their brain. Only then can they interpret and use input from the eyes.

Visual Milestones

Birth to Four Months

• Focuses most easily at about eight inches and vision is not fully developed (birth).
• Increasingly coordinated eyes (intermittent wandering or crossed eyes are normal before 3 months).
• Follows a moving object with their eyes.
• Reaches for things they see.

Five to Eight Months

• Perceives depth (three-dimensional vision).
• Enjoys adult-like color vision.

Nine to Twelve Months

• Develops eye-hand-foot-body coordination by crawling (8 months).
• Grasps viewed objects with a thumb and forefinger (10 months).
• Judges distances fairly well and throws things with some accuracy (12 months).

Ways to Promote Good Vision

Birth to Four Months

• Keep toys at 8 to 12 inches, where the baby can focus best.
• Use a nightlight in your baby's room.
• Change your baby's position in the crib.
• Talk to your baby as you move around the room.

Five to Eight Months

• Hang a mobile with contrasting colors, lines and shapes.
• Get a crib gym.
• Vary toys within their reach.
• Let baby spend plenty of time playing on the floor.
• Play peek-a-boo and patty cake-type games, moving the baby's hands through the motions.
• The American Optometric Association recommends that your baby should see a doctor of optometry for his or her first complete eye exam at about age 6 months, even if no problems are apparent.

Nine to Twelve Months

• Encourage crawling and creeping rather than early walking, which is linked to a higher risk of eye coordination problems.
• Play hide-and-seek games with toys to encourage visual memory.

Signs of a Potential Problem

Eye and vision problems should be detected in the first year of life in order to prevent unnecessary developmental delays. Watch for any of these potential problems in your infant.

• Excessive tearing may indicate blocked tear ducts.
• A white pupil is a sign of pediatric eye cancer.
• Extreme light sensitivity can indicate eye irritation or elevated eye pressure.
• A constant eye movement can signal poor vision in one eye or an eye muscle control problem.
• Red, crusty eyelids are a sign of eye infection.

If you observe any of these symptoms, see your optometrist, pediatrician, or a pediatric nurse practitioner as soon as possible.

By Christina Smith, O.D. -- Christina graduated from Cornell University in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree and then graduated from Pacific University in 1995 with a Doctor of Optometry degree. She has been practicing in Black Mountain since 1997, currently in the Lakey Creek Health Center.

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