Your Newborn’s Developing Eyesight

by Anita Sethi, Ph.d.

Your Newborn’s Developing Eyesight

A newborn's vision is so immature that she qualifies as legally blind. Still, you can be sure your little one knows her mommy when she sees her!

Love at first sight Research shows that even a 4-day-old infant will stare longer at her mom's face than at a stranger's. So take heart when your baby shows more interest in you than in your mother or mother-in-law.

The closer I get to you Anything farther than eight to 12 inches from your baby's face appears blurry to her. So with your noses inches apart, look into her eyes and move your head slowly from side to side while talking to her. The sound of your voice adds to your baby's image of you.

The eyes have it Babies are hardwired to focus on people's eyes  — perhaps because they convey so much emotion (like how much you love her). But this preference could also be due to the contrast between your eyes and the rest of your face. It's much easier for her to see things that are sharply defined by shape or contrasting color.

Looking forward By 3 or 4 months, she'll be able to move her eyes together and track moving objects. She'll also gain depth perception and develop full color and distance vision. All the better to see you!