How Vision Develops in Children 

Vision is made up of many components. Eyesight, or the ability to see 20/20 with or without corrective lenses, is only one component of the visual system. Your eyes, nerves and the brain work together to control the entire visual system. The information seen by your eyes is processed through nerve connections and handled in the brain in many different ways. Your eyes need to work together to track and focus. Your visual system controls perceptual skills such as depth perception and cognitive memory.

The visual system with all of its components matures through development, with the majority of that development happening during infancy and early childhood. Many different factors can interfere with the proper development of the visual system. Childhood illnesses, head trauma or injury, complications during delivery or pregnancy, inherited traits and environmental factors are all examples of things that can contribute to incomplete development of the visual system.

There are many things that parents and caretakers can do during this time of early development to enhance and improve how the visual system functions later in the life of a child. School aged children and adults with visual disorders often face a lifetime of learning difficulties and frustration in the classroom, workplace and in everyday life.

Promoting Vision Development in Infants

• Hold and feed your baby on alternate sides
• Hang a mobile from the side of the crib
• Provide stimuli with different colors, sizes and textures to look at and feel
• Play pat-a-cake and peek-a-boo with your baby
• Place objects on the high chair tray that can be safely dropped or pushed off
• Do not rush walking; crawling is an important part of development
• Provide an initial eye exam at 6 months of age, sooner if problems are evident 

Promoting Vision Development in Toddlers

• Play ball games with your toddler
• Read often to your toddler
• Provide paper, crayons and markers for playtimes
• Provide simple puzzles and building blocks
• Try finger painting or chalkboard drawing with your child
• Try outdoor activities such as swinging and spinning
• Provide an eye exam at age three

Promoting Vision Development in Preschoolers

• Continue to read with your child
• Encourage play activities requiring hand-eye coordination such as block building and puzzles
• Play simple memory games
• Provide opportunities to color, cut and paste
• Make time for outdoor play including ball games, bike/tricycle riding, swinging and rolling activities
• Provide a preschool comprehensive eye exam

Watch for Signs and Symptoms

Developmental Chart for Children’s Vision

When should my infant or toddler have their eyes examined?

What to do if you suspect that your preschooler has a visual disorder

Download a pdf of our Preschool Guided Development brochure