Written by True Eye Experts
Despite nine months of growth in utero, babies are not born with fully developed eyes and vision just like they can’t walk or talk yet. Over the first few months of life, their visual systems continue to progress, stimulated by their surroundings. Babies will develop the ability to track objects, focus their eyes, and move them like a team. Their visual acuity will improve and they will gradually be able to see more colors. They will also form the neural connections that will allow them to process what they see, to understand and interact with the world around them. Healthy eyes and good vision are necessary for proper and timely progress; ocular or visual problems can lead to developmental delays. So how do you know if your infant is developing normally? What can you do to ensure your baby’s eye health and vision are on track? While infant eye problems are not common here are some steps you can take to ensure your child’s eyes are healthy.
It is recommended to get the first professional comprehensive eye and vision exam for your child between six and 12 months of age.
If you have any concerns prior to six months, don’t hesitate to take your baby for an exam earlier.
Incorporating visually stimulating play for your child will help develop visual processes like eye tracking and eye teaming. A baby’s initial focusing distance is 20-30 cm, so to nurture healthy vision skills, keep high contrast “reach and touch” toys within this distance. Alternate right and left sides with each feeding, and provide toys that encourage tracking of moving objects to foster eye-hand coordination and depth perception. Pediatricians in North America recommend that NO screen time be allowed under the age of 2, as many forms of development may be delayed from the premature use of digital devices.
Keep an eye out for indications of an eye health problem, and contact an eye doctor to discuss any concerns you may have. Some symptoms to pay attention to include:
Since your infant’s eyes are still maturing, any issues that are found can likely be corrected with proper care and treatment. The important thing is to find a pediatric eye care provider that you trust because you will want to regularly check the health of your child’s eyes to ensure proper learning and development throughout infancy and beyond.
Our mission at True Eye Experts is simple — provide the best possible care to our patients. We make sure we’re doing this a few different ways. Our V-Eye-P Exam is one of the most comprehensive eye exams in the industry. We use state-of-the-art medical technology to screen, diagnose, and treat more conditions than most other providers in the area. We have an extensive collection of designer eyewear that can complement any patient’s face, style, and budget, and our advanced contact lens fitting process can help even “hard-to-fit” patients wear contacts comfortably. Book an appointment online at one of our True Eye Experts locations, conveniently located throughout Central Florida. Have questions or prefer to book over the phone? Give us a call today.
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