Jill N. is a member the VSP Global Public Relations team and proud new mommy to four month old AJ.
Now that I have made it through the hard part, I get to stare into the most precious eyes of an adorable baby boy. So as I’ve been staring at them the last four months, a multitude of questions popped up that I didn’t know the answers to. Fortunately, for at the least the questions related to his eyes, I went to my resources to get some answers.
Here is what I found out:
Q: Can he even see me?
A newborn sharpness of vision is approximately 20/600 – equivalent to seeing only the big letter “E” on an eye chart. According to our good friend, Dr. Parenti, after birth, babies can begin to focus on objects less than a foot away. So he can see his Mommy’s face when he’s nursing or when she’s annoying him with all the constant kisses.
Q: Now I see the blue, now I don’t…when will his eyes stop changing colors?
The iris, or the colored part of the eye with the pupil in the middle, contains most of the pigment cells that determine the color of the eye. Babies with darker skin are usually born with dark eyes that stay relatively dark. Babies with lighter skin are born with bluish eyes because the pigment that determines eye color is scattered thinly. As the child grows, the pigment is distributed throughout the iris, and the brownish pigment can begin to dominate. The process is determined by genetics, with brown eyes being a dominant trait, and color changes can continue anywhere from a few months up to 3 years! Since his dad has hazel eyes and I have blue, it appears we’ll get to keep guessing for awhile…
If you’re curious about your genetics, here is an “eye color calculator” I found. Not a guarantee of course – but fun to do!
Q. Why does he constantly have “eye boogers”?
My baby was born 5 weeks early, so our doctor said his were the result of his tear ducts not being fully formed yet. However, blocked tear ducts occur in about 6 out of 100 newborns, so “eye boogers” are common for the little ones. The symptoms, including excessive tearing, yellow mucus buildup (the official term for “eye boogers”) in the corner of the eye, or eyelids sticking together, may get worse after a cold or sinus infection. In severe case, infection can spread to the eyelids and the area around the eye – resulting in redness and swelling. The good news is most blocked ducts clear up on their own by 1 year of age. My kiddo’s cleared up by his 2 month appointment.
Q: Umm…what’s going on with that roaming eye?
Don’t be too concerned if your baby’s eyes sometimes don’t appear to be working together as a team early on – one eye may occasionally drift inward or outward from proper alignment. This is normal. Many advances in vision development take place in months two and three when their eyes are beginning to move better as a team. Speaking of this, I FREAKED out the first time his eyes rolled back in his head as he was falling asleep. Apparently, this is completely normal as their muscle control is still developing and they are learning how to focus. Fortunately, it stopped around month three. But obviously, if it seems excessive be sure to bring it up with your pediatrician right away.
His next milestone in is a few months and we’ll share with you his very first eye exam which is recommended at six months of age. The doctor will asses his visual acuity (will definitely be improved from the 20/600), detect nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, and evaluate his eye teaming and alignment. He will also have the health of his eyes checked and look for anything that might interfere with normal and continuing vision development.
In the meantime, you can learn more about baby’s eye development, eye safety and how genetics can play a role in vision issues at The Center at vsp.com.