Your baby's eyesight: The development of vision

Your baby's eyesight plays a necessary part in cognitive and physical development. Infants are born with limited visual capabilities; however, the use of high-contrast objects can aid in not only their visual development but also their cognitive development. Poor vision can lead to developmental delays in infants.

When should parents schedule their baby's first vision screening? The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends that infants receive their first vision screening at six months and their second vision screening at age 12 months by an optometrist. Eye exams are recommended up to age two if there is a family history of vision problems. AOA recommends annual vision screenings until the start of kindergarten.

There are 18 vision developmental milestones listed here for babies during the first 12 months. Calculations can be made here for babies born prematurely. The calculator tool adjusts a premature infant's chronological age to the corrected age. These informational tools may be used monthly during an infant's first year to track vision development, -it is important to adjust a premature infant's age during the first year while tracking developmental milestones.

Screening and early detection of vision problems can prevent additional developmental delays in the social/emotional and cognitive developmental domains. InfantSEE is a public health program managed by Optometry Cares and the AOA Foundation that provides no-cost comprehensive eye and vision assessments for infants aged six to 12 months, regardless of a family's income or access to insurance coverage. A study funded by the National Eye Institute found that even the most sophisticated vision screening tools, administered by the most highly-trained vision screeners, will miss one-third of children with an eye or vision disorder. InfantSEE provides necessary specialized equipment and procedures as part of most vision screenings. Parents can visit InfantSEE to find a participating optometrist. Infants, toddlers, and preschoolers starting out with undetected and untreated vision problems will have difficulty reaching their developmental milestones, leading to learning difficulties in kindergarten.

From birth through the first month, babies focus on lights, faces, and objects at a distance of 8 to 15 inches from their faces. The Building Blocks Infant Mobile activity supports vision, cognitive, and fine motor skills. According to Michigan State University, high-contrast objects aid in the development of focusing and attention and encourage vision development during early infancy.

Infants use the sense of vision and tactile experiences through touch as a primary means to explore and learn from their environment. These skills are necessary for cognitive and fine motor development, which supports how infants learn to interact with others, objects, or activities for short periods. The Building Blocks Infant Mobile is made of soft, high-contrast colors that support your infant's development with attention, focusing, and recognition skills. As babies develop and grow, the blocks are removable from the mobile to encourage hand-to-hand transfer.

Download the Building Blocks Infant Mobile Activity Guide to support your infant's vision and cognitive development.