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For a long time, babies were believed to be blind at birth. Now we know that they are not blind, but there is still some confusion on exactly what a baby can see and when, since no baby can read an eye chart. Vision is the last sense to develop in the womb and it continues to develop long after the baby is born.
When your eyes see, they send the information on what they see to your brain. Your brain has to be able to understand the information sent to it. That's why a baby's sense of sight takes time to develop - not because the eyes need time, but because the brain does. At birth, a newborn can only see about eight inches away (just perfect to see a parent's face). As the brain develops, it can process more information and the sense of sight improves as the brain can handle it.
Infants can detect light and motion. By three months, a baby can focus on and follow an object with his eyes if you move it side to side a few inches in front of him. At four months a baby can see an object around a foot away and reach for it. Distinguishing between objects - being able to see the difference between a bottle and a toy - happens at around six months. At age two, most children have 20/60 vision. Vision will continue to develop until around age eight, which is when a child with no visual impairments will have 20/20 vision.
It is important for your pediatrician to check your child's eyesight regularly, especially if you notice any problems because many problems are correctable and if caught early will prevent more trouble with vision later.
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