The birth of a child your life fills with a special, completely new meaning. Helpless and tiny, for the first time he opens his huge and slightly surprised eyes and looks into yours, as if saying: “You are my whole world!”. The very first smile, a language of communication that is understandable only to you two, the first word, steps - it will all be a little later. The basis of future achievements is the faithful formation of all systems and organs. In this article, we will consider in detail the stages of development of vision in a newborn.
Visual system development
Strange as it may seem, the formation of vision and hearing in newborns begins even before it is born, at the 3rd week of embryo development. However, he barely managed to gain a foothold in the uterus and is very vulnerable.
Many people know that 3-12 weeks is a critical time for intrauterine development. At this time, the laying of milestones of vital organs takes place, and the little man is very susceptible to the action of various damaging factors. Mother’s endocrine disorders, infections, smoking, drinking alcohol and drugs, poor nutrition can lead to multiple malformations or even death of the fetus. Violation of the structure of the organ of vision can occur due to a deficiency of vitamin A, excessive administration of sugar-lowering drugs belonging to the sulfonamides group (cataracts, underdevelopment of the optic nerve), and aspirin (the birth of a small baby with a high risk of visual disturbances).
Before using this or that drug, consult your gynecologist. Eat right, combine relaxation and dosed physical activity. Take care of the future baby and yourself!
The structure of the eyes of the newborn
In babies, the shape of the eyeball is shortened. This leads to the natural farsightedness of children. In the future, vision in newborns becomes normal, its visual acuity by 3 years of vision should be 100%. If farsightedness does not disappear by this time, you will need to consult an optometrist. In addition, astigmatism may be mild in newborns.
Natural features of the structure:
- The cornea with a diameter reaches 9 millimeters. It has an opalescent appearance, is not completely transparent.
- The newborn has large eyes. Moreover, the size of the eyeball is 65-67% of the total adult eye.
- A pupil with a diameter reaches 2 millimeters. It reacts weakly to bright light.
- The curvature of the cornea is much less than that of an adult. Due to this, its refractive power is less, which leads to temporary farsightedness.
- In the newborn, the lacrimal canals are already passable. Sometimes there is a blockage in the epithelial plug of the lacrimal canal. This leads to the development of dacryocystitis (inflammation of the lacrimal sac).
Eye development
Vision in newborns in 1 month of life is gray-black, he is unable to distinguish colors. Eyes on objects and faces of people do not focus. He can distinguish only the difference between darkness and light, the contours of objects. A child can watch a moving object for several seconds, though it gets tired very quickly. Furthermore, the maximum distance of vision is 20-50 cm.
The child sees the best oval light objects (mother's face). At the same time, he focuses solely on the contours of objects, he does not distinguish details. The baby's eyes are not very sensitive to light. You can leave dim lighting in the room where the baby sleeps, without fear of disturbing him in this way.
With the first ray of light
Your baby immediately after birth is examined by a neonatologist, who evaluates the vision in newborns. The doctor excludes malformations, in addition, serious congenital diseases - glaucoma and cataracts. To prevent the occurrence of infection, special disinfecting drops are instilled into the baby's eyes.
And so, the baby fell into your hands and opened its eyes for the first time. They are so big! At the time of birth, the eyeball reaches a size of 67% of the size of an adult!
The development of vision in newborns is designed in such a way that your baby will not seem so beautiful the world. He will see a picture lacking in clarity, painted in shades of gray. This perception is associated with the low maturity of the visual centers in the brain and retina. And at the same time, babies who are only a few days old prefer to see the image of their own mother, and not other people. It is believed that this is due to contrasting repetitive light stimuli, for example, locks of hair that frame mom's face. Moreover, if you hide your hair under a headscarf, the child’s interest immediately fades.
Try not to change your appearance, especially your hairstyle. This will help the child quickly learn to recognize you and establish eye contact with you.
First month of life
You most likely noticed that the baby does not look at you while feeding, and his gaze is directed to the side. This is due to the fact that the vision in newborns at 1 month is arranged in such a way that it is difficult for a child to focus on objects that are near him because of the still very weak and thin ciliary muscle. At this age, children fix their gaze on large bright objects that are a little off at a distance (bright toy, lamp, etc.).
Sometimes you may notice that in a child one of the eyes is tilted slightly to the side. This is due to the insufficient development of nerves controlled by the oculomotor muscles. But a significant and constant deviation of the eye requires contacting a specialist.
We continue to find out what vision in newborns of this age. Note that infants have extremely low retinal light sensitivity. For the baby to feel the light, it must be 50 times more intense than an adult. Leave lighting in the room when the baby sleeps. It will not disturb the baby’s sleep at all, and upon waking up it will be an excellent stimulus for vision, and your legs will be protected from blows on furniture.
Vision in 2-3 months
At 2-3 months of life, the retinal light sensitivity increases fivefold. A new stage in the vision of the newborn begins - it becomes shaped: objects take on contours, although so far they are visible only in 2 dimensions (width, length). The kid begins to show interest in them: stretches with his whole body or pen. Due to the coordination of eye movements, he traces the movement of various objects (for example, the movement of a rattle or the movement of a mother around the room).
So, considering the vision of newborns for months, we can say that during this period the world begins to acquire bright colors. The child already distinguishes between orange, red, green and yellow. The ability to perceive shades of violet and blue appears later, since the photoreceptors that capture the short-wave part of this spectrum are much less in the retina.
Therefore, decorate the nursery in cheerful, vibrant colors (multi-colored paintings, furniture and wallpapers in bright colors). Hang a carousel above the crib. Moving with the child around the room, pay attention to all kinds of objects, and also call them (for example, a closet, a lamp). When the baby is awake, lay him on his tummy. This position promotes motor and visual development.
4-6 months development
How does vision develop in a newborn by the age of 6 months? During this period, the baby’s visual system undergoes tremendous changes: a macula appears - the central part of the retina, which is responsible for visual acuity, and visual centers are rapidly developing in the cerebral cortex. Now the child sees clearly, carefully examines the facial expressions and facial features. But he is more interested in other activities than playing with his legs and arms. Due to the fact that the movements of the hands and eyes become consistent, you can grab any object of interest, shake it intensively, direct it into your mouth for further study, clap your hands.
At 6 months, the first in life examination of vision in newborns is performed. A month or earlier, it is carried out only if necessary. Now it’s important to make sure that both eyes of the baby are equally well seen, their movements are coordinated, while nothing prevents their further development (for example, glaucoma and congenital cataract, retinopathy of premature babies).
Space development in 7-12 months
The kid at this age is very mobile: crawls, moves in walkers, and also makes independent first steps. He tries to estimate the distance (throws and grabs a toy without a miss), as well as the shape of objects (a ring differs from a cube). Thus, he has a volumetric perception of space. This period in the baby’s life is especially traumatic!
Various toys that are interesting to assemble and disassemble (pyramid, cubes) help the development of coordination of movements.
Eye diseases in newborns
The child who has fallen asleep in your arms seems incredibly defenseless and small. You want to protect him from any danger. But many diseases are born with the crumbs. Congenital diseases are quite rare, but with untimely treatment or its absence can significantly impair the vision in the newborn, in addition, delay its development.
Congenital cataracts are manifested by decreased vision and a grayish pupil glow. A cloudy lens prevents the penetration of light into the eye and the full development of vision is achieved in a newborn child, therefore, it must be removed. After surgery, the baby needs special contact lenses or glasses that replace the lens.
Glaucoma is characterized by an increase in intraocular pressure due to changes in the development of moisture outflow pathways. The membranes of the eye are stretched under the influence of pressure, which leads to an increase in the size of the eyeball, clouding of the cornea, the optic nerve is compressed and atrophied, vision is gradually lost. Drops should be instilled regularly to reduce pressure. If they do not help, the operation is indicated.
Retinopathy of premature infants is a retinal disease in which normal vascular growth stops. In it, fibrous tissue and pathological vessels begin to develop. The retina is scarred and exfoliates, which significantly reduces vision, including blindness. Surgical and laser treatment.
All premature babies (those born before the 37th week of pregnancy), especially those who were in incubators and lightweight, belong to the risk group in terms of the occurrence of retinopathy of premature babies. At the same time, they should be under constant medical supervision until the 16th week of life.
Nystagmus is an involuntary eye movement, mainly in the horizontal direction, although it can be in a circle or vertical. Nystagmus prevents the formation of a clear vision and fixation of the gaze. Treatment is the correction of visual impairment.
Ptosis is the omission of the upper eyelid due to the underdevelopment of the muscle that raises the eyelid, or a disease of the nerve that controls the movements of the muscle. A drooping eyelid can prevent light from entering the eye. The treatment consists in putting the eyelid in the correct position with a band-aid. Treatment is carried out in 3-7 years.
Strabismus - is a pathology in which 1 or 2 eyes deviate from the fixation point, in other words, look in different directions. In children of the first months, the development of the nerves that control the oculomotor muscles is not completely completed, therefore, 1 or 2 eyes can periodically look to the side. If the deviation is strong and constant, you need to contact a specialist. Strabismus prevents the synchronous operation of the eyes, as well as the development of spatial perception, which can lead to amblyopia. In this case, treatment should be aimed at getting rid of the cause of strabismus (training weakened muscles, correction of visual impairment).
How to check the vision in a newborn? A healthy child is examined for the first time by a doctor at 1 month. Moreover, if the neonatologist in the hospital has any doubts about the condition of the eyes, then a specialist consultation is already appointed there.
There are various methods for determining the functions of vision in a newborn baby. Moreover, the possibility of their use depends only on the age of the baby.
It is impossible to detect visual acuity in the hospital and up to 2 months of age due to age. Moreover, for a normal assessment of the state of the analyzer, an ophthalmoscopic examination and an external examination are performed. Upon examination, pay attention to such features:
- The location in the cavity of the orbit of the eyeball.
- Mobility and shape of the eyelids.
- An assessment of how the eyeballs move. Before the baby learns to follow a specific subject, his eyes move by changing the position of his head (turn right, left head).
- Symmetrical arrangement of the eyes.
- Assess the reaction of the pupils to the light, their size.
- The presence of strabismus is determined.
- Assess the condition of the optic disc, retinal vessels and retina.
- The transparency of the eye media is revealed: moisture of the anterior chamber, cornea, vitreous humor, crystalline lens.
As soon as the child learns to hold his gaze on the subject, then you can find out the amount of refraction. It is determined in the following ways:
- using a PlusOptix autorefractometer;
- scioscopic examination.
It is necessary to identify the presence of eye pathology in children on time. Therefore, parents should understand how to check the vision of the newborn at home. For this, it is necessary to closely monitor the development of the child:
- In children after 1 month, you need to pay attention to how they follow the toys, whether they notice small details.
- Check whether the baby reacts to light, to mom, look at the size of the pupils, whether there is strabismus.
- At home, you can conduct such a test: with a palm, first cover one eye of the crumbs, then the other and demonstrate the toy. If the baby is watching her and is not trying to take your hand away, then her eyesight is good.
Sight in premature babies
In a premature baby, the eye is distinguished by its functional immaturity, as well as an incomplete anatomical structure. Underdevelopment of the retinal vessels in the development of retinopathy of prematurity plays an important role.
Children with this disease are at risk for blindness and low vision among children. A baby born before 35 weeks of gestation weighing less than 2 kg should be examined by an ophthalmologist at 4 weeks of age. The doctor, upon examination, pays attention to the transparency of the eye medium, as well as to the condition of the retinal vessels and retina.
The formation of vision in newborns in premature babies occurs as they develop and grow, but there may be a slight lag in development relative to full-term babies.
Vision training
The main stimulus for the development of vision is the presence of natural sunlight. Therefore, the child’s room must be with a window in order to transmit light.
The presence of visual stimuli is also important for vision. The child turns his attention to bright toys, and in the future he will be able to reach them. From 2 months old, a child can be shown various patterns for training his eyesight - black and white contrasting.