This document provides information on infant vision development from birth to two years old. It discusses the development of vision abilities month by month, including the ability to track moving objects, see in depth, and develop eye-hand coordination. It also discusses common vision conditions, eye myths, signs of vision problems in infants, eye tests, and tips parents can use to support visual development at different stages.

2. BREAKER

8. In the eyes…

10. INFANT VISION
DEVELOPMENT

11. Birth to Four Months
• At birth, babies have not yet developed the ability to easily tell
the difference between two targets or move their eyes
between two images. Their primary focus is on objects 8 to 10
inches from their face or the distance to parent’s face.
• During the first month of life, the eyes start working together
and vision rapidly. Infants start tracking moving objects with
their ayes and reaching for them.
• For the first two months of life, infant’s eyes are not well
coordinated. It is normal to appear to be crossed or
wandering. However, when turning is constantly, an evaluation
is warranted.
• Babies should begin to follow moving objects with their eyes
and reach things at around three months of age.

12. Five to Eight Months
• Control of eye movements and eye-body coordination skills
continue to improve.
• Around the fifth month, eyes are capable of working together
to form a three-dimensional view of the world and begin to
see in depth.
• It is believed that babies have good color vision.
• Most babies start crawling by 8 months, which helps further
develop eye-hand-foot-body coordination.

13. Nine to Twelve Months
• Babies should be using their eyes and hands together.
• Around 9 months of age, babies begin to pull themselves up to
a standing position.
• By 10 months, baby should be able to grasp objects with
thumb and forefinger.
• By 12 months, most babies will be crawling and trying to walk.
Parents should encourage crawling rather than early walking
to help the child develop better eye-hand coordination.
• Babies can now judge distances fairly well and throw things
with precision.

14. One to Two Years Old
• By two years of age, a child’s eye-hand coordination and depth
perception should be well developed.
• Children this age are highly interested in exploring their
environment and in looking and listening. They recognize
familiar objects and pictures in books and can scribble with
crayon or pencil.

15. EYE MYTHS AND
FACTS

16. MYTH 1:Doingeye exercises will keep you
from needingglasses.
FACT: Eye exercises do not enhance or
preserve vision or diminish the need for
glasses. Your vision relies on the shape
of your eyes, the health of your eye
tissues, and many other factors, none of
which can be appreciably altered with
eye exercises.

17. MYTH 2:Readingin dim light will worsen
yourvision
FACT: Dim lighting can make your eyes
feel fatigued more quickly, but it will not
harm your eyesight. Focus your reading
light directly on the page you are reading,
not over your shoulder. A light that shines
from over your shoulder can create glare,
making it more difficult to see.

18. MYTH 3:Eatingcarrots improvesyour
eyesight
FACT: Carrots do contain vitamin A, which is
good for the eyes. But dark green leafy
vegetables and fresh fruit are even better. They
contain more antioxidant vitamins such as C and
E, which can protect the eyes from cataracts and
age-related macular degeneration. However,
eating vegetables and/or taking supplements will
not prevent or repair vision problems such as
nearsightedness or farsightedness.

19. MYTH 4: Youshouldn’t wear glasses all the
time. Taking a breakfrom glasses or contact
lenses allows youreyes to rest
FACT: If you are prescribed glasses for
distance or reading, use them. Trying to read
without reading glasses will simply strain your
eyes and tire them out. Using glasses won’t
weaken your vision or lead to eye disease.

20. MYTH 5: Staring at a computerscreen all day
is harmful to the eyes
FACT: Spending the day staring at a screen
can tire or strain your eyes, but it will not
hurt them. Make sure lighting doesn’t
create a glare on your screen. When
spending long periods at your keyboard,
take a break now and then to rest your eyes
to reduce fatigue. Also, don’t forget to
blink. Your eyes need to stay lubricated to
feel comfortable.

21. Parts and Functions of the Eyes

22. Cornea
• Tagged as the “window of the eye”
• It is the outer thin transparent membrane of the eyeball
• Serves to protect the eye and refract most of the incident light

23. Pupil
• The black circle
• An opening trough which light enters the inner portion of the
eye
• Changes its size to regulate amount of light entering the eye

24. Iris
• Colored portion of the eye
• Regulates the size of the pupil by contraction or relaxation of
its muscles

25. Lens
• Focuses the light on the retina
• Biconvex transparent body situated behind the iris

26. Aqueous Humor and Vitreous
Humor
• Responsible for giving the eye its near perfect spherical shape
• Belong to the refractive system of the eye

27. Retina
• The inner surface of the eye
• Receives images formed by the lens and transmits them
through the optic nerve to the brain

28. Macula Lutea
• Part of the retina
• a small yellowish central area of the retina that is rich in cones
and that mediates clear detailed vision

29. Fovia Centralis
• Another part of the retina
• Found in the center of the macula lutea
• A small depression in the retina of the eye where visual acuity
is highest

30. Optic Nerve
• transmits electrical impulses from the retina to the brain
• connects to the back of the eye near the macula

31. A journey through the
human eye…

32. SIGNS OF EYE AND
VISION PROBLEMS
PRESENCE OF EYE VISION PROBLEMS AMONG
INFANTS ARE RARE

33. Parents need to look for the
following signs that may be
indications of eye and vision
problems:
• Excessive tearing – may indicate blocked tear ducts
• Red/Encrusted eyelids – could be a sign of an aye infection
• Constant eye turning – may signal a problem with eye
muscle control
• Extreme sensitivity to light – may indicate an elevated
pressure in the eye
• Appearance of a white pupil – may indicate the presence
of eye cancer

34. PROBLEMS WITH SEEING

35. Myopia
• Medical term for
nearsightedness
• People suffering from this
visual problem can see
close objects clearly but
the distant ones are
blurred.
• The eyeball is larger than
the normal or too curved
• This can be corrected by
diverging lens.

36. Hyperopia
• Hypermetropia
• Farsightedness can see
distant object but cannot
focus clearly on nearby
objects
• The eyeball is too short
and the image of the
object is formed behind
the retina
• This can be correct by
converging lens.

37. Presbyopia
• Aging eyes or old eyes
• It is a normal
consequence of growing
old and cannot be
prevented
• Crystalline lens hardens
and the ciliary muscles
become less flexible
• Bifocal lens is prescribed
• Progressive lens may be
used

38. Astigmatism
• A person suffering from
astigmatism cannot focus
simultaneously on
horizontal and vertical
lines.
• The cornea have unequal
curvature
• Some people prefer
wearing contact lenses
instead of eyeglasses.

39. Visual Tests

40. Visual Acuity Tests
• most common tests used to evaluate eyesight
• measure the eye's ability to see details at near and far
distances
• involve reading letters or looking at symbols of different sizes
on an eye chart

41. Refraction
• a test that measures the eyes' need for corrective lenses
(refractive error)
• done after a visual acuity test
• done as a routine part of an eye examination for people who
already wear glasses or contact lenses
• will also be done if the results of the other visual acuity tests
show that your eyesight is below normal and can be corrected
by glasses

42. Visual Field Tests
• used to check for gaps in your side (peripheral) vision done
after a visual acuity test
• your complete visual field is the entire area seen when your
gaze is fixed in one direction
• the complete visual field is seen by both eyes at the same
time, and it includes the central visual field-which detects the
highest degree of detail-and the peripheral visual fields

43. Color VisionTests
• check your ability to distinguish colors
• used to screen for color blindness in people with suspected
retinal or optic nerve disease or who have a family history of
color blindness
• also used to screen applicants for jobs in fields where color
perception is essential, such as law enforcement, the military,
or electronics
• only detect a problem-further testing is needed to identify
what is causing the problem

44. Keeping Eyes Healthy

45. What Parents Can Do
To Help With Visual
Development

46. Birth to Four Months
• Use a nightlight or other dim lamp in your baby’s room
• Change the crib’s position frequently and change your child’s
position in it
• Keep reach-and-touch toys within your baby’s focus, about 8
to 12 inches
• talk to your baby as you walk around the room
• Alternate right and left sides with each feeding

47. Five to Eight Months
• Hang a mobile, crib gym or various objects across the crib for
the baby to grab, pull and kick
• Give the baby plenty of time to play and explore on the floor
• Provide plastic or wooden blocks that can be held in the hands
• Play patty cake and other games, moving the baby’s hands
through the motion while saying the words aloud

48. Nine to Twelve Months
• Play hide and seek games with toys or your face to help the
baby develop visual memory
• Name objects when talking to encourage the baby’s word
association and vocabulary development skills
• Encourage crawling and creeping.

49. One to Two Years Old
• Roll a ball back and forth to help the child track objects with
the eyes visually
• Give the child building blocks and balls of all shapes and size
to play to boost fine motor skills and small muscle
development
• Read or tell stories to stimulate the child’s ability to visualize
and pave the way for learning and reading skills

50. The End
Thank you for listening…