A newborn can see clearly at a very close range, typically about 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 centimeters) from their eyes. This distance roughly corresponds to the space between a baby's face and a caregiver's face when being held, which is why newborns are naturally drawn to look at faces at this range
. At birth, newborns have poor visual acuity, estimated around 20/600 to 20/640, meaning they need objects to be much closer to see them clearly compared to adults. For example, an object an adult can see clearly at 640 feet would need to be only about 20 feet away for a newborn to see it clearly
. Their vision is blurry beyond this close range, and they see mostly large shapes and high-contrast patterns rather than fine details
. Newborns also have limited color vision and depth perception, which develop over the first few months. They initially see muted colors and improve in color discrimination gradually over the first 2-3 months
. Depth perception typically begins to develop around 4 months of age
. In summary:
- Clear vision range at birth: about 8 to 12 inches (20-30 cm)
- Visual acuity at birth: approximately 20/600 to 20/640
- Vision mostly blurry beyond close range; focus on large shapes and high-contrast patterns
- Color vision and depth perception develop over the first few months
This close-range focus supports bonding and interaction, as newborns can clearly see the faces of their caregivers during feeding and holding.
