Stages of vision development in a newborn. Vision in newborns by month

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The birth of a child fills your life 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, the language of communication that only the two of you understand, the first word, steps - all this will be a little later. The basis of future achievements is the correct formation of all systems and organs. In this article, we will take a closer look at the stages of development of vision in a newborn.

Development of the visual system

The formation of vision and hearing in newborns, oddly enough, begins even before it is born, at the 3rd week of embryo development. At the same time, he barely managed to strengthen himself in the uterus and is very vulnerable.

Many people know that 3-12 weeks is a critical timeintrauterine development. At this time, milestones of vital organs are laid, and the little man is very susceptible to the action of various damaging factors. Endocrine disorders of the mother, infections, smoking, 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 vitamin A deficiency, excessive administration of hypoglycemic drugs belonging to the sulfonamide group (cataract, underdevelopment of the optic nerve), as well as taking aspirin (the birth of a small baby with a high risk of visual disorders).

Before you start using this or that drug, consult a gynecologist. Eat right, combine rest and dosed physical activity. Take care of your future baby and yourself!

The structure of the eyes of a newborn

In babies, the shape of the eyeball is shortened. This leads to natural farsightedness in children. In the future, the vision in newborns becomes normal, its visual acuity by 3 years should be 100%. If farsightedness does not disappear by this time, it will be necessary to consult an ophthalmologist. In addition, newborns may have mild astigmatism.

Natural structural features:

• The cornea is 9 millimeters in diameter. It has an opalescent appearance, not completely transparent.
• A newborn has big eyes. At the same time, the size of the eyeball is 65-67% of the total size of the adult eye.
• Pupilup to 2 mm in diameter. 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.
• A newborn's tear ducts are already patent. Sometimes there is a blockage of the epithelial plug of the lacrimal canal. This leads to the development of dacryocystitis (inflammation of the lacrimal sac).

Eye Development

Vision in newborns at 1 month of life is gray-black, he is not able to distinguish colors. The eyes do not focus on objects and people's faces. He can distinguish only the difference between darkness and light, the contours of objects. A child can look at a moving object for several seconds, though he gets tired very quickly. In this case, the maximum distance of vision is 20-50 cm.

Child best sees oval light objects (mother's face). At the same time, he focuses exclusively on the contours of objects, he does not distinguish the details. Baby's eyes are not very sensitive to light. You can leave dim lighting in the room where the baby sleeps, without being afraid to disturb him in this way.

With the first ray of light

Your baby is examined by a neonatologist immediately after birth, who evaluates the vision in newborns. The doctor excludes malformations, in addition, serious congenital diseases - glaucoma and cataracts. To prevent the onset of infection, special disinfecting drops are instilled into the baby's eyes.

And so, the baby fell into your arms and opened his eyes for the first time. They arebig! At birth, the eyeball is 67% the size of an adult!

The development of vision in newborns is designed so that your baby will not seem so wonderful the world. He will see a picture devoid of 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 mother, and not other people. It is believed that this is due to contrasting repetitive light stimuli, for example, strands of hair that frame the mother's face. At the same time, if you hide your hair under a scarf, the child’s interest immediately fades away.

Try not to change your appearance, especially your hair. This will help your child learn to recognize you faster and make eye contact with you.

First month of life

You most likely noticed that the baby does not look at you during feeding, but 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 the child to focus on objects that are near him due to the still very weak and thin ciliary muscle. At this age, children fix their eyes on large bright objects that are a little further away (bright toy, lamp, etc.).

Sometimes you can notice that a child has one of the eyes deviated slightly to the side. This is attributed to the insufficient development of the nerves controlled by the oculomotor muscles. But a significant and permanent deviation of the eye requires a visit to a specialist.

We continue to find out what kind of vision in newborns of this age. Note that infants have extremely low light sensitivity of the retina. For a baby to feel light, it must be 50 times more intense than an adult. Leave lighting in the room when the baby is sleeping. It will not disturb the baby’s sleep at all, while waking up it will be an excellent stimulus for vision, and it will protect your legs from hitting furniture.

Vision at 2-3 months

In 2-3 months of life, the light sensitivity of the retina increases fivefold. A new stage of vision of a newborn begins - it becomes shaped: objects acquire 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 handle. 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 mom around the room).

So, considering the vision of newborns by 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 there are much fewer photoreceptors in the retina that capture the short-wavelength part of this spectrum.

Therefore, decorate the nursery in cheerful, bright colors (multi-colored paintings, furniture and wallpaper in bright colors). Hang a carousel above the bed. Moving around the room with the child, pay his attention to all kinds ofobjects, and also name them (for example, a wardrobe, a lamp). When the baby is awake, put him on his tummy. This position promotes motor and visual development.

Development at 4-6 months

How does vision develop in a newborn by 6 months of age? During this period, the baby's visual system undergoes huge changes: the macula appears - the central part of the retina responsible for visual acuity, visual centers rapidly develop in the cerebral cortex. Now the child sees clearly, carefully studies the facial expressions and features of your face. But he is more interested in playing with his legs and arms than other activities. Due to the fact that the movements of the hands and eyes become coordinated, you can grab any object of interest, shake it vigorously, direct it to your mouth for later study, clap your hands.

At 6 months, the first eye examination in newborns is carried out. A month or even earlier, it is carried out only if necessary. Now it is important to make sure that both eyes of the child see equally well, their movements are coordinated, while nothing interferes with their further development (for example, glaucoma and congenital cataracts, retinopathy of prematurity).

Space mastering at 7-12 months

A baby at this age is very mobile: crawls, moves in a walker, and also takes independent first steps. He tries to evaluate the distance (throws and grabs toys without missing), as well as the shape of objects (the ring differs from the cube). Thus, he has a three-dimensional perception of space. This period in a child's lifeespecially traumatic!

Various toys that are interesting to assemble and disassemble (pyramid, cubes) help develop coordination of movements.

Eye diseases in newborns

A baby who fell asleep in your arms seems incredibly defenseless and small. You want to protect him from any danger. But many diseases are born along with the baby. Congenital diseases are quite rare, but with untimely treatment or its absence, they can significantly impair the vision of a newborn, in addition, delay its development.

Congenital cataract is manifested by reduced vision and a grayish glow of the pupil. The cloudy lens prevents light from entering the eye and the full development of vision in a newborn child, therefore, it must be removed. After the operation, 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. Under the influence of pressure, the membranes of the eye are stretched, 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, surgery is indicated.

Retinopathy of prematurity is a disease of the retina, in which the normal growth of blood vessels stops. Fibrous tissue and pathological vessels begin to develop in it. Retinascarring and exfoliating, which significantly reduces vision, including blindness. Surgical and laser treatment.

All premature babies (born before 37 weeks of gestation), especially those in incubators and low birth weight, are at risk for retinopathy of prematurity. At the same time, they must be under constant medical supervision until the 16th week of life.

Nystagmus is an involuntary movement of the eyes, mostly in a horizontal direction, although it can also be circular or vertical. Nystagmus interferes with the formation of clear vision and fixation of the gaze. Treatment is the correction of visual impairment.

Ptosis is a drooping of the upper eyelid due to underdevelopment of the muscle that lifts the eyelid, or a disease of the nerve that controls the movements of this muscle. A drooping eyelid can prevent light from entering the eye. The treatment consists in the fact that the eyelid is given the correct position with the help of an adhesive plaster. Treatment is carried out at 3-7 years of age.

Strabismus - is a pathology in which 1 or 2 eyes deviate from the point of fixation, in other words, they look in different directions. In children of the first months, the development of the nerves that control the oculomotor muscles is not fully completed, therefore, 1 or 2 eyes can periodically look to the side. In case the deviation is strong and constant, it is necessary to contact a specialist. Strabismus interferes with the synchronous work of the eyes, as well as the development of spatial perception, which can lead to amblyopia. However, the treatment shouldaim at getting rid of the cause of strabismus (training of a weakened muscle, correction of visual impairment).

How to check the eyesight of a newborn? A he althy child is examined for the first time by a doctor at 1 month. Moreover, if a neonatologist in the maternity hospital has any doubts about the condition of the eyes, then a specialist consultation is already assigned there.

There are various methods for determining the functions of vision in a newborn baby. At the same time, the possibility of using them depends only on the age of the baby.

It is impossible to detect visual acuity in the maternity hospital and up to 2 months of age due to age. At the same time, for a normal assessment of the state of the analyzer, an ophthalmoscopic examination and external examination are carried out. On examination, pay attention to such features:

• Location in the cavity of the orbit of the eyeball.
• Mobility and eyelid shape.
• Assessing how the eyeballs move. Before the baby learns to follow a certain object, the eyes move by changing the position of his head (turn his head to the right, left).
• Symmetrical eye position.
• Assess pupil reaction to light, their size.
• Determine the presence of strabismus.
• Assess the condition of the optic disc, retinal vessels and retina.
• Reveal the transparency of the media of the eye: moisture of the anterior chamber, cornea, vitreous body, lens.

As soon as the child learns to hold his gaze on the subject, you can find out the amount of refraction. Herare defined in the following ways:

• using PlusOptix autorefractometer;
• skiascopic examination.

It is necessary to identify the presence of eye pathology in children in time. Therefore, parents should understand how to check the vision of a newborn at home. To do this, you need to closely monitor the development of the child:

• In children after 1 month, you need to pay attention to how they follow toys, whether they notice small details.
• Check if the baby reacts to light, to mom, look at the size of the pupils, if there is strabismus.
• At home, you can conduct such a test: first cover one eye of the crumbs with your palm, then the other and demonstrate the toy. If the baby is watching her and does not try to remove your hand, then the vision is good.

Vision in premature babies

In a premature baby, the eye is distinguished by its functional immaturity, as well as an incomplete anatomical structure. Underdevelopment of retinal vessels plays an important role in the development of retinopathy of prematurity.

Children with this disease are included in the risk group for blindness and low vision among the child population. A baby born before 35 weeks of gestation weighing less than 2 kg must be examined by an ophthalmologist at 4 weeks of age. During the examination, the doctor pays attention to the transparency of the media of the eye, as well as the condition of the retinal vessels and retina.

The formation of vision in newborns in premature babies occurs as they develop and grow, butthere may be a slight developmental delay 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 necessarily have a window in order to let in light.

The presence of visual stimuli is also important for vision. The child draws his attention to bright toys, and in the future he will be able to reach them. A child from 2 months old can be shown various drawings for training vision - black and white contrasting.