Infant Vision Services

We know that your baby has a whole lifetime to see and learn. But did you know your baby also has to learn to see? As a parent, there are many things that you can do to help your baby’s vision develop. First, proper prenatal care and nutrition can help your baby’s eyes develop even before birth. At birth, your baby’s eyes should be examined for signs of congenital eye problems. These are rare, but early diagnosis and treatment are important to your child’s development.

We can examine a child long before he or she is able to say his or her first word. We have equipment and techniques that enable us to examine an infant during their first year of life. We recommend that all children are seen within their first year to rule out any possible eye problems. Your child should be seen earlier if there are specific problems noticed.

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At birth to six weeks of age, your child should be able to:
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  • Stare at his or her surroundings while awake
  • Momentarily holds gaze on bright light(s) or bright object(s)
  • Blink at a camera flash
  • Move his or her eyes and head together occasionally
From eight weeks to 24 weeks, your child should be able to:
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  • Begin to move his/her eyes more widely with less head movement
  • Begin to follow moving objects or people (eight – 12 weeks) with his or her eyes
  • Watch your face when being talked to (10-12 weeks)
  • Begin to watch his or her own hands (12-16 weeks)
  • Be able to look at his or her hands, food, bottle while sitting (18-24 weeks)
  • Start looking for and viewing more distant objects (20-28 weeks)
From 30 weeks to 48 weeks, you may see that your child:
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  • Turns his or her eyes inward while inspecting hands or toys (28-32 weeks)
  • Watches activities around him or her for longer periods of time (30-36 weeks)
  • Looks for toys he or she drops (32-38 weeks)
  • Visually inspects toys he or she can hold (38-40 weeks)
  • Sweeps his or her eyes around room to see what is happening (44-48 weeks)
  • Visually responds to smiles and voice of others (40-48 weeks)
  • Sees objects and people more consistently (46-52 weeks)
From 12 months to 18 months, you may notice that your child is:
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  • Using both hands and visually steering hand activity (12-14 months)
  • Visually interested in simple pictures (14-16 months)
  • Often holding objects very close to the eyes to inspect them (14-18 months)
  • Pointing to objects or people using the words “look” or “see” (14-18 months)
  • Looking for and identifying pictures in books (16-18 months)
From 24 months to 36 months, you may notice that your child:
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  • Occasionally visually inspects an object without needing to touch it (20-24 months)
  • Smiles when he or she views favorite objects and people (20-24 months)
  • Likes to watch movement of wheels, egg beater, etc. (24-28 months)
  • Watches his or her own hand while scribbling (26-30 months)
  • Visually explores and steers his or her own walking and climbing (30-36 months)
  • Watches and imitates other children (30-36 months)
  • “Reads” pictures in books (34-38 months)
From 40 months to 48 months, you may notice that your child:
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  • Brings his or her head and eyes close to a page of a book while inspecting the book (40-44 months)
  • Draws and names circles and crosses on a piece of paper (40-44 months)
  • Can close his or her eyes on request, and may be able to wink one eye (46-50 months)

Our pediatric doctors are providers for the InfantSEE® program, a one-time, no cost, comprehensive eye and vision assessment for infants 6-12 months old.