Health Leader, What Does Your Baby See?

STORY BY

Pamela Lewis & Nora K. Shire

Newborns look at objects that are close to them. They like faces, bright colors and things that shake, rattle and roll. Their general eye health should be checked while in the hospital nursery.

At three months, babies can follow a moving object and keep their eyes on it even when it stops. Their visual development is stimulated by colorful rotating mobiles.
From three to six months, the retina is well developed, and the baby can see small details.
Baby eyes can go from near to far and back to near. Distance judgment is developing.
At six months, the eye has reached about two-thirds of its adult size, and the eyes are fully working together. Distance vision and depth perception are still developing.
By 12 months, vision is on its way to full development. Hand and eye coordination is occurring and can be encouraged with games.
In the first year of life, an infant’s eyes should be routinely screened during well-baby visits with their doctor.
From age 2 to 5, the preschooler is drawing and looking at pictures. Stories that connect to pictures will help the child coordinate hearing and vision.
About age 5, children should have their vision and eye alignment evaluated and assessed. Kids who fail either test should be examined by an ophthalmologist, says the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)
After age 5, further screening exams should be conducted at routine checks at school or at the child’s doctor’s office.

One in 20 preschoolers and one in four school-age children has vision problems, according to Prevent Blindness, a national non-profit organization named after its cause. Untreated problems can worsen and lead to other difficulties with learning, personality and adjustment in school.

“Babies are examined in the hospital, especially if they are premature. High-risk newborns, those with a family history of eye problems and those with obvious eye irregularities, should be examined,” explains Dr. Malcolm L. Mazow, a professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

“Like other health conditions, the family health history is important to share with the child’s doctor,” Mazow advises.

In kindergarten and pre-school, screenings take place and follow rules that were established for Texas schools more than two decades ago by Mazow and other vision specialists. If there is a problem such as lazy vision, a child can be given a thorough eye exam at age 3.

According to the AAO, signs that a young child may have vision problems include:

Constant eye rubbing
Extreme light sensitivity
Chronic redness of the eyes
Chronic tearing of the eyes
A white pupil instead of black
Poor visual tracking (following an object)

In school-age children, vision red flags include:

Inability to see objects at a distance
Inability to read the blackboard
Difficulty reading
Sitting too close to the TV.

Useful Website: http://www.preventblindness.org/

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UPDATED: 4-28-2003

About Dr. Mazow:

Dr. Malcolm Mazow is a professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at the UT Medical School.

See Dr. Mazow also at:

What Does Your Baby See?

Health Tip:

Special Instructions for Children Being Vaccinated Against Flu for the First Time:

Children 6 months up to 9 years of age getting a flu vaccine for the first time will need two doses of vaccine the first year they are vaccinated. If possible, the first dose should be given in September or as soon as vaccine becomes available. The second dose should be given 28 or more days after the first dose. The first dose "primes" the immune system; the second dose provides immune protection. Children who only get one dose but who need two doses can have reduced or no protection from a single dose of flu vaccine. Two doses are necessary to protect these children. If your child needs two doses, begin the process early, so that children are protected before influenza starts circulating in your community. Be sure to follow up to get your child a second dose if they need one. It usually takes about two weeks after the second dose for protection to begin.

Because flu viruses change every year, the vaccine is updated annually. So even if you or your children got a flu vaccine last year, you both still need to get a flu vaccine this season to remain protected. If October and November slip by, and you haven’t gotten your children or yourself vaccinated, get vaccinated in December or later.