Although infants can see as soon as they are born, their eyes are not yet fully developed. Vision is a learned skill; it takes some time for a baby’s eyes to learn how to work together, and for their brain to be trained to process visual stimulations and convert them into images.
In today’s post, Park Slope Eye shares five tips to promote healthy visual development for your infant:
1. Invest in Proper Prenatal Care and Nutrition
Your infant’s vision development begins during the prenatal period. Make sure to visit your doctor regularly throughout your pregnancy and to eat nutritious fruits, vegetables, and meat. Salmon, in particular, contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which supports fetal brain and eye development.
2. Newborn Visual Assessment
As soon as your child is born, we suggest having our pediatric eye doctor in Brooklyn, NY, check for any congenital visual problems. Although rare these disorders are rare, early diagnosis and prompt treatment can yield a much better prognosis.
3. Comprehensive Eye Exam
We can perform infant and pediatric eye exams to check for certain vision problems that develop in childhood. We suggest bringing your child for an eye exam at six months of age. We will perform tests and procedures to detect any signs of underlying eye irregularities, and will provide treatment.
4. Our Pediatric Eye Care Services
If we notice signs of refractive errors we may prescribe wearing eyeglasses in Brooklyn, NY.. We also offer orthokeratology and vision therapy to help improve your child’s vision. The earlier we correct your child’s visual impairments, the more effectively we can treat them.
5. Play With Your Child
Children’s toys are usually classified according to age groups as appropriate to their learning skills. During their first four months, reach-and-touch toys will help improve their hand-eye coordination. This also lets you check for any signs of eyesight problems.
For superior eye care for you and your child, you can turn to Park Slope Eye. From fitting you for corrective eyewear to providing dry eye treatment in Brooklyn, NY, we are ready to assist you. Call us at (347) 380-7070 to schedule an appointment. You can also fill out our form or send us a message.