How does vision develop in children?
Vision is not at all mature at birth; it develops over the course of the first years of life. In this article, Pierre-François Kaeser, a university lecturer and clinical researcher, director of the paediatric strabology and ophthalmology unit at the Jules-Gonin Ophthalmic Hospital, helps you understand your child’s vision and its development.
How does vision develop in babies?
To gain a rough idea of visual development, it is first necessary to realise that small babies have very blurred vision. It is estimated at about 5% of adult vision. Babies do not perceive colours or contrasts. They can focus their vision centrally but do not perceive the periphery well.
Infants are initially bothered by light. After a few weeks, the cells in the centre of the retina, the cones, become more mature. Thus the child distinguishes a greater variety of light intensities.
In addition, the two eyes are independent of each other. This is why very small babies may have strabismus and can squint at times: inwards, vertically, or outwards, especially when daydreaming.
How does a child’s vision develop from 3 months to 1 year?
During the first month after birth, both eyes are independent. The baby may have an intermittent strabismus that decreases day by day. However, if the baby is constantly squinting, it is important to quickly make an appointment with an ophthalmologist.
Between three months and one year of age, the two eyes start to develop coordinated activity. This gradually allows the infant to perceive depth and see in 3D.
At 6 or 7 months of age, infants begin to perceive distance.
At one year of age, it is estimated that vision corresponds to about 30% of adult vision. At this age, the child also develops hand-eye coordination. The infant is better able to distinguish depth, allowing him to grasp objects more easily.
How does a child’s vision develop at 4 years of age?
Development still continues. At the age of 4, it is believed that the eye itself, and in particular the film that lines the back of the eye called the retina, on which images are formed and which allows them to be sent to the brain, is morphologically mature. That is to say, the device that makes it possible to perceive a visual scene is quite mature. Because we don’t see just because we have an eye. But mainly because this eye sends information to the brain, which analyses it and allows us to interpret what we see.
The maturation of the visual brain is not at all complete at 4 years of age; it continues to develop.
How does a child’s vision develop at 7 years of age?
At about 7 years of age, the child roughly obtains the adult’s vision in terms of detail discrimination. However, visual development is not complete at 7 years of age. It will continue for several years to come. Particularly in terms of contrast analysis and the ability to explore the visual field.
Should I see an ophthalmologist to check my child’s visual development?
Throughout these years of visual development, the two eyes are, in a way, in competition with each other. If one eye sends a perfectly sharp image to the brain while the other has a much more blurred image, the lazy brain will simply analyse the images of the better eye. Therefore, the brain will not learn to see with images of the weaker eye. This is called amblyopia, and it can be detected by check-ups with the paediatrician or ophthalmologist.
If an asymmetric vision problem is detected early in a child’s life by means of an ophthalmological examination, it will be possible to force the brain to use the images from the worse eye, after focusing them with glasses, if necessary. The earlier we intervene, the more successful we will be in enabling vision to develop harmoniously. If such a problem goes unnoticed, or is not detected, it can lead to a significant difference in vision in adulthood, which unfortunately cannot be corrected.
What are common visual problems in children?
Visual development takes place in the first years of life. Vision problems such as myopia, astigmatism, glaucoma, hyperopia or strabismus can develop. Consult an ophthalmologist as soon as possible to detect and correct visual disorders.
An additional examination with an orthoptic assessment by an orthoptist may also be prescribed. If sight problems are treated as early as possible, the child’s visual development will be as harmonious as possible. This helps to avoid symptoms such as visual fatigue, headaches, problems with distance or near vision and accommodation problems.
Do you want to learn more about amblyopia? Check out our page on this topic.