Baby's eyes at 1 month. Further changes in vision in a child up to one year old. How do babies see after birth?

The vision of a newly born child is not fully formed, so he sees the world somewhat differently than his adult parents.

At birth, the eyeball has a flattened shape, which leads to small degree farsightedness in children. During the first eight months of life, vision improves: the eyes train to move at the same time, visual control over hand movements develops, and the brain begins to correctly process the information received by the receptors.

Features of vision in children under one year old

Vision in newborns

The vision of children under one month old allows them to see only those objects that are located at a distance of 20 cm from the eyes. During the first weeks, the baby sees a blurry, non-volumetric inverted picture, notices light, the outlines of people and objects, and movement. Most interesting object For a newly born baby to study, the mother's face is the most important thing to study, so take him in your arms and communicate as often as possible.

The eye muscles are still weak during this period, and neural connections, connecting optic nerves and the brain are not yet formed. Gradually increasing muscle mass, the cornea of ​​the eye grows, resulting in increased clarity of vision.

Normal occurrence of this period A slight squint is considered when the child collects the pupils towards the bridge of the nose or looks in different directions.

2 weeks after birth, the child begins to distinguish large bright objects and follow their movement.

Vision in a child at 1 month

At one month, the baby begins to focus both eyes on an object, so at this age you can start playing with it using a rattle. A bright rattle moving in front of the baby's face will not only bring joy, but will also stimulate the development of the child's vision.

For games, use bright objects of contrasting colors and different shapes.

Mom's eyes can also be a good toy: bring the baby to your face, look into his eyes and begin to slowly move your pupils to the side, the baby will follow them.

During the monthly commission it will be necessary to visit an ophthalmologist.

Vision in a child at 2-3 months

This is the age at which color skills begin to develop. The child begins to distinguish simple colors, study complex patterns and actively follow objects. Visual acuity increases, the eyes become sensitive to light, and the baby learns to move his gaze from one object to another.

At the age of two months, you can begin to introduce your child to pictures, books, toys, and show photographs of relatives.

You should no longer hang toys in front of your eyes, but to the side or near your feet.

At 3 months, children's vision is checked by an ophthalmologist. The doctor evaluates appearance eyes, the way the child watches the toy, conducts skiascopy (shadow test) to determine visual acuity.

Vision in a child at 4 months

At 4 months, children's vision includes depth perception, that is, an understanding of the size and shape of an object and how far away it is. Together with the development of motor skills, coordination improves, which allows the baby to grasp objects with his hands.

The best toy for a four-month-old baby is one that is easy to pick up and look at closely.

Vision in a child at 5-6 months

The child's visual acuity improves significantly, as does hand coordination. The child begins to recognize an object by its part, that is, to realize that even if he does not see the whole thing, it still exists. An excellent game would be hide and seek: mom hides behind some object, for example, a door or a scarf, and then looks out and says “peek-a-boo.”

At six months there is a leap in the development of the center of the brain responsible for vision. The clarity of vision increases, the eyes begin to focus faster on different objects and jump from one to another. The baby begins to recognize his family and keep track of small objects. The development of vision also concerns color perception. At the sixth month, the baby is able to see all colors and distinguish shades.

At the age of 5-6 months, you need to give toys to your hands as often as possible and place them near the baby. It's good if they rattle and rustle. Six months is the age of the next trip to the ophthalmologist.

Strabismus in children six months of age is no longer considered normal and requires treatment.

The fundus of the child takes on the shape of an adult.

Vision in a child at 8 months

By eight months children's vision acquires the same severity as in adults. The child is able to clearly distinguish objects that are far from him, correctly estimate the distance to them, and accurately throw and grab things.

Video - Dr. Komarovsky about children's vision

Color vision in a child

Perception color range develops gradually in the child. A newborn is only able to distinguish between “darker-brighter” levels; he sees surrounding objects in gray and black-and-white tones, since the retinal receptors are not fully developed.

The color palette begins to open to the baby at the age of six weeks.

The first color that one and a half month old babies begin to distinguish is red. At the age of 4 months, the child can already distinguish such basic colors as yellow, blue and green, but so far without shades.

Closer to one year, the child begins to distinguish many bright colors. Pastel colors are ignored, so it is better to choose bright rattles. You can interest your child in flowers by hanging a multi-colored mobile phone, bright posters, and laying out books for children. You should not surround your child with pale toys and monochrome decor.

Lighting in a children's room

The brightness of the lighting directly affects the child’s activity and correct perception of colors, so during the daytime the room should be sufficiently light. At night, you can use a night light - it won’t hurt the baby, and it will help the mother quickly see the baby in the dark.

In a children's room, it is important to make the most of natural light, for which it is better to choose a room on the east or southeast side. It is advisable to leave the window sills empty and not to cover the windows with thick curtains.

Visual impairment in children

Periodic examinations with a doctor will help to identify visual impairment in a child in a timely manner. The result of the examination depends not only on the examination, but also on whether anyone in the family has had vision problems. The risk is also increased in those children who were born prematurely, so this should also be reported to the doctor.

Child's vision violated if the following symptoms are observed:

• at 3 months does not follow an object with both eyes at the same time,
• impaired eye movement in different directions,
• lack of focus on one point and constant movement of the eyes,
• eye rolling,
• white pupil
• constant tearing and excessive sensitivity to light.

One of the vision pathologies is considered astigmatism. However, often children are already born with this feature, since their eyeball is still in the developmental stage and the vision of newborns is blurry. In most cases, the situation returns to normal within a year. Astigmatism exceeding 1 D requires mandatory correction.

Treatment of the disease must be started immediately as soon as the ophthalmologist has identified a deviation from the norm, otherwise it may lead to the appearance of related problems, such as amblyopia (suppression of one eye) and strabismus. To assign effective treatment, the doctor will perform a series of tests, including a dilated pupil examination. Dilate the pupil with atropine drops.

Video - how to treat astigmatism in children

Due to changes in muscle tone or damage to the nerves of the eye, strabismus, which differs from what can be observed in newborns and is not considered normal. Strabismus is dangerous because it can lead to disruption of the formation binocular vision when the brain combines images from both eyes into one picture. Treatment of strabismus includes creating a screen for the healthy eye and training the squinting one. If the deviation angle is significant, prompt correction is required.

Video - pediatric ophthalmologist about strabismus

Over time, in some children, congenital hyperopia (farsightedness) can develop into myopia(myopia). There are also cases congenital myopia, especially in premature babies. The causes of myopia in children are considered to be heredity, poor hygiene, poor nutrition, fatigue, weakened eye shell, various diseases. The main treatment for myopia is aimed at slowing the decline in vision.

Video - pediatric ophthalmologist about myopia

The most noticeable eye pathologies in children under one year of age are omission upper eyelid (ptosis) and eye twitching vertically or horizontally (nystagmus). Nystagmus is caused by brain damage and various diseases: severe myopia, retinal damage and the like. The occurrence of ptosis is associated with damage to the muscle or nerve responsible for upper eyelid, which in turn arise when birth injuries and hemorrhages.

The organ of vision plays an exceptional role in the development of a child in the first year of life. The eyes supply the brain with more than 90% of information about the world around us. Nervous system the baby is in close connection with the senses. The first year of life is the most intensive period of development visual function. Parents need to know about the main stages of eye development infant And possible problems for timely contact with a specialist.

General plan of the structure of the organ of vision

The organ of vision is a structure unique in complexity human body. Eyeball and nerve pathways transmission of visual information to the brain is still developing for a long time after the end of the intrauterine period and the birth of the child.

The eyeball consists of three main components:

To form an image, the light beam is refracted in the following anatomical structures of the eye:

On the retina, after light passes through all the optical structures of the eyeball, an inverted image is formed. Both eyes perceive an object differently. Information in the form of an electrical signal from retinal cells along the optic nerve is sent to a specialized part of the brain, in which various inverted images from both eyes are formed into a single image of an object.

The inverted image of an object on the retina is converted into the correct one by the brain

Visual acuity directly depends on the transparency and refractive power of optical media and the length of the eyeball.

Development of vision in the first month of life

All the anatomical structures of the eyeball described above, as well as visual acuity, continue to develop after the birth of the child.

It would be a mistake to believe that a newborn does not see or hear anything. This statement is very far from the truth. Auditory sensations in the fetus arise during intrauterine life. Visual abilities are formed only after its birth.

A newborn's visual acuity is approximately one-tenth that of an adult. During this period, the child is able to distinguish the contours of large objects from a short distance.

Color perception is reduced in the first days of life. The structure of the newborn retina implies the presence of rods and cones in the periphery. In the central zone (yellow spot), on which the image of an object is built, there are very few of them at birth. During the first month of life, the rods and cones gradually move towards the center, as a result of which the child begins to distinguish bright red and orange colors.

Rods and cones are specialized light-sensitive cells in the retina

There is no formation of a single image of an object based on images on both retinas (binocular vision) at birth. The child does not have a complete picture of the world in the form of spatial images during the first month. At this time, the brain is just getting used to receiving different signals from the two retinas.

The size of the eyeball at birth is smaller than that of an adult. In the first month of life, particularly rapid growth of anatomical structures is observed: the lens, vitreous.

The cornea of ​​a newborn has a more convex shape than that of an adult. In this regard, the refraction of light in its different parts has been slightly changed. Newborns may experience a blurry image of an object on the retina. The reason in this case is different curvature of the cornea, or astigmatism.

Corneal growth can lead to transient astigmatism

The optic nerve, the conductor of information from the retina to the brain, also changes at this age. The main process is the formation of the myelin sheath nerve fibers.

At the age of one month, a newborn can follow a moving object and fix its gaze on a stationary one. During this period, the child may notice the phenomenon of strabismus - deviation of the pupil from the central axis. However, up to six months, experts consider it a variant of the norm.

The blood supply to the retina during this period has one important feature: in a newborn, the vessels are more developed in the nasal part than in the temporal part.

The retinal vessels of a newborn are more developed in the nasal part

Vision of a two month old baby

At two months, a child's visual acuity reaches approximately one-fifth of that of an adult. At this age, the baby is already able to distinguish the mother’s facial features and even recognize them. The eyes can now see the contours of objects at a distance of about half a meter.

Binocular vision appears by the end of the second month of life. The brain has already learned to form a single image of an object. Now the child has access to a spatial picture of the world.

Binocular vision allows you to see objects in volume

The macula of the retina gradually becomes more and more filled with cones. Now the child is able to distinguish the main bright colors: red, blue, yellow, green. However, transitional shades are still not available to him. In the first two months, it is best for your baby to buy bright toys.

The growth of the eyeball, lens and vitreous body continues. The cornea takes on a more familiar shape.

The fibers of the optic nerve are laid down by nature in excess quantities even in the womb. Some of them will die in the first two months. This is a programmed process. The quality of vision will not suffer.

Information from both halves of the retinas enters the brain through certain fibers of the optic nerve

The vascular network finishes developing in the temporal part of the retina.

At this age, parents can already notice that the child is able to fix his gaze on a stationary object for a long time. And also the baby already knows how to follow moving objects for quite a long time.

Doctor Komarovsky about baby's vision - video

Main achievements of the third and subsequent months of life

The process of developing visual acuity ( clinical refraction) occurs for quite a long time, until school age. However, by the end of his first year the child is able to clearly distinguish between nearby and distant objects. The length of the eyeball will become the same as that of an adult only by two years.

A child's color perception will reach its peak development within a year. By 10 months, the baby is able to distinguish virtually all the variety of colors and shades of the surrounding world.

Conscious gaze and coordinated action eye muscles available to a child aged six months. By this time, the phenomenon of strabismus, if it existed, should be eliminated.

Strabismus is the result of uncoordinated work of the eye muscles

The formation of the myelin sheath of the optic nerve occurs most intensively in the first year, but it does not end before the age of two.

The myelin sheath provides high speed nerve impulse transmission

By three months, the child is able to fix his gaze on objects while in vertical position in the arms of the parents. Sixteen weeks after birth, the baby clearly recognizes its mother, which is accompanied by an emotional expression of joy. By five months, the child can distinguish the faces of close relatives. By the end of the first year of life, the baby recognizes people in photographs.

Strabismus in children of the first year of life - video

Features of vision of a premature newborn

Prematurity is not only a condition internal organs.The vision of a baby born before forty weeks is very different from that of a full-term baby.

A baby born before 28 weeks of intrauterine development is not able to respond to light. In more late dates There is squinting and a general motor reaction.

These children do not have gaze fixation in the first month of life. If the birth date is after 30 weeks, such visual function will appear only by three months of life. 32–34 weeks of development in the womb will provide the newborn with gaze fixation at the age of 1.5–2 months. The diameter of the cornea in a child increases in proportion to the duration of intrauterine life.

In a premature baby, the blood supply to the retina is poorly developed. The lower the gestational (intrauterine) age, the more likely the occurrence of edema of the pigment membrane of the eye and subsequent disruption of its structure in the form of retinopathy. Often, when examining the retina, foci of hemorrhages are revealed, localized mainly in the area macular spot.

The main problem of the vision organ of a premature baby is the risk of retinal detachment

On the retina of very premature infants, a zone containing no vessels at all (avascular) is detected. At 34 weeks it is practically not observed.

The area where the optic nerve enters the retina (disc) has blurred edges. A clear outline along with a pink color appears only at forty weeks.

The area of ​​the macula as a cluster of cones is completely absent in children born before the 30th week of pregnancy. It will take about three months. For babies born at 34 weeks of gestation, this process takes about one and a half months.

Problems of the visual organ in the first year of life

The main predisposing factors for the development of visual pathologies in a child of the first year of life are:

Most current problems visual function in children of the first year of life are pathologies of the retina, lens, clinical refraction, nerve, and lacrimal ducts.

Visual problems in infants - table

Eye pathologies in a child of the first year of life - photo gallery

Complete optic disc atrophy leads to irreversible blindness Glaucoma can lead to retinal detachment, optic nerve atrophy, and complete loss vision Cataracts are a consequence of rubella infection in the womb. Microphthalmos - common occurrence with intrauterine infection with rubella virus Dacryocystitis is an infectious inflammation of the lacrimal sac due to obstruction of the nasolacrimal duct. Retinal detachment due to retinopathy can lead to lifelong blindness

Retinopathy of Prematurity - video

How to detect vision problems in a baby

Anatomical abnormalities in the structure of the eyeball (microphthalmia) will be seen by a neonatologist immediately after birth.

It is virtually impossible to accurately determine visual acuity in a child of the first year of life. Deviations in clinical refraction indices are detected no earlier than two years of age. Parents of a child in the first months of life need to be guided by the baby’s reaction to light, fixation of gaze on a stationary object, tracking a moving object.

The absence of a pink glow in the retina (the so-called red eye effect) indicates clouding of the lens (cataract).

Constant lacrimation indicates obstruction of the nasolacrimal duct. Swelling and redness of the area under the eyeball is a consequence infectious inflammation lacrimal sac (dacryocystitis).

The phenomenon of strabismus, which has not disappeared after six months of life, requires the attention of a specialist.

The role of parents in the development of the child’s visual organ

The development of the visual organ in a child of the first year of life is extremely important task education. It is recommended to use the following activities depending on the age of the baby.

Activities for the development of the organ of vision in infants - table

Educational pictures for babies - photo gallery

Studying bright pictures develops a child’s color perception It is useful for a child to study color pictures Bright colors of the picture attract the baby's attention

Vision - the most important means a child’s first year of life’s knowledge of the world around him. The development of visual function largely depends on the active participation of parents in this process. The occurrence of eye problems is a reason to schedule a visit to a pediatric ophthalmologist.

Like the eyes of an adult, the organ of vision in a newborn is a complex optical system consisting of several parts. One part is responsible for conducting light, it is represented by and. Having passed through the refractive media, the light on a special photosensitive film from a variety of nerve cells. Visual information enters the brain through nerve fibers, where it is perceived and analyzed.

The vision of a newborn child has its own characteristics: the eye of a child in the first year of life is not yet able to work in the same way as that of an adult. From the moment of conception until approximately the seventh year of life, visual system The child develops and improves. A newly born child is not able to see the world (in the understanding of an adult), since his vision is imperfect. a newborn is negligibly small; it is at the level of perception of light and shadow, but not visual images. With each week of life, a child's vision improves and by about 12 months the child's eye perceives about a third to half of what an adult eye can see. Children's vision develops most rapidly within a few months after birth, and it is during this period that it is important to pay attention to the slightest changes occurring in the eyes. The development of a child’s visual organ directly depends on regular visual stimulation: An image focused on promotes the formation of the visual center in the cerebral cortex. Any abnormalities that occur in utero or in the first days after birth (impaired transparency of the optical media, changes in the retina or) can delay the development of the visual analyzer.

The vision of a newborn child has its own characteristics: the eye of a child in the first year of life is not yet able to work in the same way as that of an adult. From the moment of conception until approximately the seventh year of life, the child’s visual system develops and improves.

Newborn visual acuity

As already mentioned, soon after birth and within another month or two, the visual acuity of a child is approximately a thousandth of the visual acuity of an adult. In addition, the newborn's eye is flattened in anteroposterior dimension, its visual axis is approximately 6 mm shorter. Consequently infant Normally, farsightedness, and simultaneously with the growth of the eyeball, its degree constantly decreases.

Assessment of vision in newborns

In order to promptly identify abnormalities in the development of the visual organ in a newborn, it is necessary to show the child to a specialist in a timely manner. The first examination of the organ of vision usually takes place in the maternity hospital; in the absence of obvious deviations, scheduled visits to the ophthalmologist must be completed every month, six months and a year. The specialist examines the child’s fundus, studies the size and symmetry of the pupils, as well as the reaction of the pupil to light stimulation, assesses the state of visual function and lacrimal ducts.

What parents can do

First, pay attention to the size eyeballs your child. The eyes are normally almost the same size; they should not be too large or small. If a baby's eyeballs at the age of one month are slightly protruding and enlarged, this is a signal for urgent consultation ophthalmologist. The cause of eye enlargement at this age may be congenital (increased intraocular pressure), which can lead to an irreversible decrease in vision up to complete vision.

Secondly, look at the child's pupils. Normally, the shape of the pupils is round, both pupils are equal in diameter, and narrow under the influence of light. If, when examining the pupils, you are not sure of your findings, this is also a reason to unscheduled contact an ophthalmologist.

Pay attention to eye color. Usually both eyes have the same color, this will become final at around three months of age.

See if your child is able to fix his gaze on any nearby object (starting from two months of age), and whether he can actively follow a moving object (from the third month of life). At the age of six months or a little older child He is able to distinguish simple figures; at the age of one year he can already see drawings.

A person receives approximately 80% of the surrounding information through vision, while the visual analyzer is responsible for the perception of the surrounding world.

A child’s vision is formed in the womb along with other systems, but even when the baby is born, the visual organs are still imperfect, so during the first few years of the child’s life, his vision develops.

Good vision allows the baby to learn the world, analyze, learn, and also contribute good health, because visually impaired children, as a rule, have poor health and physical form, and all this is due to the fact that all body systems have strong connections.

Features of vision in a newborn, stages of its development

There is a misconception that in infancy children see all objects the surrounding world upside down. But this is not entirely true, in early age babies perceive objects rotated at a 90-degree angle.

Every day a newborn experiences the slightest changes in vision; with each month, the baby begins to perceive more and more details, and by one year, vision is restored so much that the baby sees 1/3 of what adults with good vision can see.

Newborn vision in the first month of life

It is worth noting that the baby is no longer born blind; his eyes react to light. In the first month of his In life, a child perceives the world in black and white, since his eyes have not developed enough to distinguish other colors.

Besides, Newborns at this time are capable see the features of large objects, as well as distinguish light from shadow; by the way, at a close distance (20-30 centimeters) kids see absolutely everything and even in the smallest detail, only the picture is blurred.

Some babies may have strabismus in the first month of life, but you should not be afraid of this, since the visual muscles are still weak and cannot yet control the movement of the eyeballs; this should go away over time.

Second and third month

The progress of the second month is that the baby learns to see bright colors, however, he is not yet able to distinguish tones that are similar to each other, for example, blue and cyan. In addition, a newborn can detect the movement of objects that move horizontally, is able to fix his gaze on them and follow them with his eyes.

If up to two months the child perceived the world in a blurry form, now his vision appears sharp.

After two months, the newborn begins to see objects better and further, and can concentrate on moving objects for longer. The baby is also able to distinguish the faces of relatives who live in the same space with him.

Brain development at 4 and 5 months

Happens every month All greater development brain in a baby, due to which at age four months The baby is able to determine the distance to the object of interest and grab it, so parents should expand the child’s horizons and offer him different children’s toys.

By five months, the child begins to realize that this or that object exists in space, even if it is not currently visible. Also, the baby is able to recognize objects that he has seen before, even if they are not shown in full. At the same time, the development of color perception of the world and the ability to distinguish similar shades from each other occurs at a rapid pace.

Sixth, seventh and eighth months after birth

Upon reaching six months the baby improves its grasping reflex, this can be seen by extending your finger to the child. Perception occurs simple figures, the baby can hold and focus his gaze on an object of interest for a long time.

At seven months, the baby already has good visual acuity and depth, comparable even to the same parameters in an adult.

An eight-month-old child is able to distinguish the faces of people and the appearance of objects that are located in the far corner of the room. At the same time, the permanent color of the iris is established; over time, its shade may only change slightly.

Formation of vision by one year

A one-year-old baby is able to examine patterns on objects located in close proximity to him. In books he likes to look at colored images and illustrations. Worth reading to a child short stories, while paying attention to the pictures.

It is worth adding that the vision of a newborn, the stages of development of the visual organs in different babies proceed differently, so there is no reason to be alarmed if the development of one or another visual ability occurs with a delay of several weeks.

What should parents pay attention to?

Mom and dad should pay attention to how their baby’s vision is developing. It is worth helping the child at all stages so that this process occurs within normal limits. Parents should show the child objects, talk about them, and let the child explore them independently with the help of their hands and mouth.

It is very important to communicate with the baby, telling him about objects and objects of the surrounding world, colors, while it is worth showing what is being discussed now.

It is best to purchase special rotating mobiles and pendants for the crib, on which the awake baby will focus his attention. The most matching colors for these items are bright red and fiery orange shades, combined with blue and green tones.

The structure of the visual organs of a newborn

As the child grows his organs of vision, or more precisely, the eyeball, change slightly. The greatest growth of this organ occurs in the first year of a baby’s life. A newborn has an eyeball that is six millimeters smaller than the eyeball of an adult, so a newly born baby is farsighted.

The cornea of ​​a newborn also changes at a slow pace; it is slightly convex and has the shape of a roller; in addition, the cornea has a clear border with the protein membrane. They don't go through it blood vessels, so it is completely transparent. However, in newly born children, the cornea may swell a little and lose its transparency, but this goes away after a week.

The iris helps the eye adjust to changes in illumination. The color of the iris is determined by the amount of pigment it contains: the more pigment it contains, the darker the eye color. Children are born with a small amount of pigment in the iris, so their eyes are most often blue, but this pigment increases with age.

The retina is the film that lines the walls of the eye. It is she who is responsible for the perception of the colors of the surrounding world. In newborns, the retina is not fully developed, so initially children see only black and white colors.

Among other things, a newborn has a blink reflex, that is, the baby blinks and squints only when the light changes, and other movements in front of his face are perceived by the child with his eyes wide open.

Correct formation of visual organs in a newborn?

To avoid diseases related to vision, parents need to know how they should look and react to changes environment visual organs.

1. The size of the pupils and their reaction to light. The child's pupils should be the same size, and in bright light they should narrow equally.
2. Eyeballs and their size. The eyeballs should also be the same size, but they should not be overly convex or, conversely, have a disproportionately small size. The cause of bulging eyes can be congenital glaucoma, which without treatment can lead to blindness.
3. Fixing the gaze on nearby objects. Two-month-old babies' eyes should be directed towards the moving object, with both eyes looking in the same direction.

Newborn vision test

For the first time the eyes of a child They are examined in the maternity hospital immediately after birth, and then the parents and the baby will need to undergo scheduled checks at one, three, six and a year. But at the slightest suspicion of a deviation in the development of the visual organs, it is worth coming for an examination to an ophthalmologist and unscheduled.

The following cases require an unscheduled visit to a doctor:

Vision is one of the most important human senses. It is through our eyes that we receive the bulk of information from the world around us, learn about it and develop ourselves. If a person is blind, it is more difficult for him to learn to distinguish between the beautiful and the disgusting, he will never learn to read, write and will not be able to fully work on an equal basis with others. This is why it is important to monitor vision in newborns from the very first days of life. Not only does this depend on correct formation the child’s visual apparatus, but also his general development.

It is important to know: vision is not just our eyes and what we are able to catch with them. Actually it's very complex system, in which the eyes are only a small outer part. They perceive information, transmit it to the cerebral cortex through the optic nerves, and there it is processed and causes appropriate reactions. Understanding this, it is easier to understand how, what and why a child sees when he is first born.

The world through the eyes of a newborn – what does he see?

The first stage of vision development in a child begins, in fact, long before his birth, in the womb, approximately in the third week of pregnancy. During this period, the formation of the pupillary membrane and optic nerves occurs, further formation eyes occurs before the birth of the baby.

There is a myth that a child is born with black and white inverted vision, but this statement is not entirely true, this is only his perception, and vision is no different from an adult

There is no exact data on how well the fetus sees or whether it sees at all in the womb. On ultrasound examination It’s easy to notice how an unborn baby opens its eyes slightly, squints, closes and turns away from the light, but this is not confirmation that he is, in fact, already able to see. It is only precisely confirmed that the eyes of even babies born at 28 weeks of pregnancy already react to bright light. Fully term and full-term children are also born with an imperfect visual analyzer. The complete completion of its formation occurs only by the age of 10.

Nowadays, the theory that a newborn's vision is upside down has become widespread. But is this really so? If you think sensibly, based only on confirmed facts, then the situation looks like this. The visual image of every person, including adults, not only babies, is displayed on the retina, indeed, upside down. This is an objective law of optics. But the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for processing the information received through the optic nerves, adapted to this phenomenon and learned to “flip” the picture.

Whether such features of the nerves of the cerebral cortex can be attributed to congenital properties or whether they appear after birth, scientists do not know for sure. This is explained by the fact that a newborn child cannot yet clearly explain how exactly he sees his mother’s face - in normal position or upside down. Therefore, it cannot be said with certainty that infants have inverted vision. Likewise, one cannot say that they see in black and white. It has only been proven that children begin to react to bright colors only after a few months.

The fact that babies are born half-blind is quite logical, natural and thought out by nature itself. Just imagine how much visual information bombards a newborn as soon as he emerges from the dark womb into a huge, bright world. His still immature visual analyzer is simply not able to cope with the processing of all stimuli. Therefore, nature is limited to the perception of only the most important visual stimulus - the mother’s face bending towards the baby. But he also sees him vaguely and only at a very close distance - about 40–50 cm. It is interesting that it is precisely at this distance that the baby’s face is removed from the mother’s when feeding.

At birth, the child’s visual apparatus is not yet ready to perceive large quantity visual stimulants, but during the first year active adaptation occurs

How vision develops in stages

So, immediately after birth, the child sees practically nothing, and this is even good. But then his visual apparatus begins to rapidly adapt to the world around him.

The development of vision in a newborn by month is as follows:

• At 1 month, the baby’s gaze cannot focus, but the newborn’s pupils already react to light. They become smaller, while the child himself begins to blink intensely and try to tilt his head in the direction opposite to the source of irritation. bright light. About two weeks after birth, the child begins to linger with his gaze on various objects, but not for long. Most of the time, his gaze is unfocused, and squint may occur. Parents should not be frightened by this fact, although most of them are very worried when they notice how the baby’s eyes run in different directions and turn to a children’s ophthalmologist. True strabismus can also be detected in a one-month-old baby, but such a disease is rare.
• At the age of 2 months, a newborn already sees much more and better. He can hold his gaze on one object for a long time and examine it, fixing both eyes at once. The baby is able to recognize the mother and those people whom he sees most often, reacts to light and darkness, the approach of objects and their movement from side to side.
• At 3 months, babies no longer just focus their eyes. They are able to distinguish between the two most bright colors- red and yellow.
• At 4–6 months, the following two colors are added to the main two colors - blue and green. The development of the visual apparatus is inextricably linked with the development of motor skills. The baby sees a bright rattle, he likes it, and he immediately tries to grab it with his hands. Having received the desired object, he brings it to his eyes and can look at it with concentration for a long time.
• At 6–8 months, infants are able to distinguish between simple geometric figures. If you work with them, then others will join the first four colors. The child already clearly distinguishes between objects that are far and near, and reacts violently to familiar people and familiar toys.

At the age of one year, babies see almost as well and sharply as adults. They are not yet able to analyze what they saw as fully, but the visual image perceived by the retina is virtually no different.

Basic rules for caring for a newborn's eyes

Caring for the eyes of a newborn at home after discharge from the maternity hospital is based not only on washing and instilling eye drops, although this is also an important point. How quickly and correctly a baby’s vision develops depends largely, of course, on the parents. What they should take care of:

• In order for a newborn’s eyes to develop more quickly, they need sufficient exercise. That is, the child should be in a well-lit room, the walls and ceiling of which will also be light. You should not deliberately darken the nursery with curtains and blinds. daytime, as many mothers mistakenly do. The more bright light, the better.
• The eyes, not only of a child, but also of adults, are a fragile and sensitive organ. From the very beginning they need the correct hygiene care, they must also receive all the necessary nutrients, that is, the baby should be provided with adequate nutrition, both breastfeeding and complementary feeding.
• At birth, nature limited the baby’s visual organs from perceiving a large number of visual stimulants. But then, on the contrary, there should be as many of them as possible for proper development. You should place as many bright objects as possible in the nursery. different forms, sizes and colors. At the same time, it is important to change them periodically so that the load on the eyes also changes and is varied.

In addition to following the rules of hygiene, constant visual stress is necessary for the organs of vision and their successful development; bright multi-colored toys and objects will help with this

The mother and immediate family should play and talk with the child as much as possible, call various colors, demonstrate them in the outside world. And if any abnormalities or simply suspicious phenomena are suddenly discovered, it is recommended to consult an ophthalmologist as soon as possible.

When to see a doctor

The first check by an ophthalmologist is carried out in the maternity hospital in the first hours of a newborn’s life. This point is especially important for premature babies, because their eyes are much less developed than full-term babies. The reason why the child was born also plays a role. ahead of schedule. If it was an infectious disease of the mother during pregnancy, then doctors will pay Special attention the development of his visual apparatus will take a long time.

The first examination by an ophthalmologist is carried out immediately after the baby is born; it is very important, since the doctor can identify congenital disorders based on the condition of the eye

Causes and factors that can provoke the development of congenital anomalies, underdevelopment and pathologies of the visual organs in newborns:

• tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, rubella, others infectious diseases suffered by the mother while carrying a child;
• unfavorable environmental conditions;
• genetic predisposition.

With the help of simple tests and a simple device, the doctor will be able to check the functions of the visual apparatus and detect a violation, if any. The following points will be assessed:

• pupil sizes;
• their symmetry;
• reaction to light;
• motor capabilities of the eyeball;
• shape and size of eyelids.

The next examination by an ophthalmologist is recommended at three months of age, then at six months and at one year. Visual acuity during these examinations is checked by determining refraction and examining the fundus. All procedures are carried out with a dilated pupil, that is, the doctor will use special eye drops. Further routine examinations will be carried out once a year for all children without identified disorders, and as necessary for those children who will be registered with an ophthalmologist.

Proper care, attention and care from parents will help you cope even with congenital anomalies and ensure the correct development of the child’s vision

You should consult an ophthalmologist unscheduled if you notice the following symptoms:

• constant lacrimation;
• souring eyes;
• redness of the eyelids, change in their shape;
• inadequate reaction to light;
• signs of strabismus;
• any spots or formations on the cornea.

The most dangerous congenital ophthalmological pathologies of infants are glaucoma and retinopathy.

If you properly care for your baby's eyes from the very beginning, take care of his good nutrition and harmonious development, most likely you will be able to do without unscheduled inspections and will not encounter unpleasant surprises. Although not everything depends on the care and attention of parents, many ophthalmological diseases in children, unfortunately, they are congenital in nature; nevertheless, they are very important and always help to cope with detected pathologies.