Babies are born with the ability to see, though their vision develops rapidly in the first few months, reaching near-adult levels by around 3-5 years old.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown of infant vision development:
Newborns: Can see objects 6-10 inches away, focusing on faces and high-contrast patterns. They see in black and white and shades of gray initially, with color vision developing gradually.
1-3 months: Babies begin to track moving objects with their eyes and recognize familiar faces. They also start to reach for things.
4-6 months: Vision becomes clearer, and babies can see farther away. They start to use both eyes (binocular vision) and develop depth perception.
6-12 months: Babies can see colors like adults and can judge distances fairly well. They can also focus on fast-moving objects.
1-2 years: Eye-hand coordination and depth perception continue to develop.
3-5 years: Vision typically reaches adult levels.