LONDON — Despite being able to appreciate art, fake cry and understand basic physics, it takes infants years to see clearly.
Mr Romesh Angunawela — a consultant eye surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London — has worked with eye clinic Clinic Compare to develop a GIF that shows how babies learn to see the world around them every month for their first year on earth.
It shows that children cannot really focus on their parents' faces, even close up, until they're around three months old. Even then, a child's vision doesn't fully mature until they're almost two.
Angunawela told Business Insider that, from the moment a child opens their eyes for the first time, the visual cortex of the brain begins to learn to process the flood of visual information it encounters.
"At birth, a baby sees things more clearly at eight-10cm, but their range of vision extends as they grow."
The visualisation shows how babies eyes tend to be less co-ordinated at first, as their brains get used to processing new information.
But after three months, a child can start to focus and recognise parents' faces. "This may coincide with their first smile, as facial muscle coordination also develops apace," said Angunawela.
Vision continues to develop steadily and by two years old, a child's sight is nearly fully developed. "This coincides with increased interest and exploration of the world around them."
Watch the GIF below to see how a newborn starts to focus on the new world around them.
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