VISION DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES

Child's Age	Expected Behavior	Expected Completion*
Birth to	Pupils react identically to light changes Blinks at sudden light or object moving toward face Looks at people (faces) and objects momentarily or longer	Birth
1 to 2 months	Stares at people or objects Responds to people's faces Eyes follow a moving person or near object Seeks lighted areas	2 mos.
2 to 3 months	Inspects own hands Eyes follow an object 180 degrees Demands light for vision	3 mos.
3 to 4 months	Eyes move in active inspection of body, people, toys, surroundings Looks at objects placed in hand (beginning eye-hand coordination) Inspects own hands	4 mos.
4 to 5 months	Smiles in response to familiar adult Reaches for objects at least 1 foot away Notices small food objects at least 1 foot away	5 mos.
5 to 6 months	Eyes move together all the time Brings objects to mouth, looks at them, then looks into space Smiles at or pats mirror image	6 mos.
6 to 8 months	Picks up or touches small objects with "raking" motion Searches for hidden objects Shows color preference for reds and yellows Looks for dropped toys	8 mos.
8 to 10 months	Notices details of an object such as facial features on a doll, holes in a pegboard, geometric shapes Reaches for string	10 mos.
10 to 12 months	Understands and accomplishes vision related motor tasks such as stacking blocks, puffing pegs into round holes, crawling, standing, walking	12 mos.
1 to 2 years	Identifies geometric forms by placing blocks in appropriately shaped holes Shows interest in pictures Scribbles on paper	2 yrs.
2 to 3 years	Finds object that move out of sight without following its path Recalls visual images Puts together six-piece puzzles or matches objects out of six pairs of items	3 yrs.
3 to 4 years	Copies geometric figures Reading readiness present - responds to vision/speech-sound coordination activities like the television programs "Sesame Street" and "Electric Company"	4 yrs.

4 to 5 years	Recognizes names or colors	5 yrs.
5 to 6 years	Tells the difference in color shades Depth perception fully developed Vision approaches adult's	6 yrs.
If a child cannot perform at least two of the age-level tasks by the expected completion age, that child should be taken to an eye specialist for examination.

INFANT WARNING SIGNS OF VISUAL PROBLEMS:

**Visually unresponsive

**Holds things very close to see them

**Bumps into large objects

**Cannot pick up small objects with accuracy

**Favors one eye when looking at objects

**One or both eyes turn in or out for noticeable periods of time

**Squints or closes one eye frequently