Why is Visual Stimulation Important?

Quick read - 2 min

Just like us, most healthy babies are born with 5 senses to discover the world around them. Arguably, one of the senses we humans rely on most is our sight; often we see things before we can smell them, touch them, or taste them. We recognise our loved ones from a distance, capture memories in photographs, take in the beauty of the world around us. However, the world babies are born in is blurry and vague - their eyesight is one of the least developed senses at birth! [1] Therefore, visual input is essential during those early months, and can have a huge impact on the development of a baby's nervous system.

Image 1 - A baby with blue eyes looking upwards, Rasmus Svinding

The retina is the layer at the back of the eye which detects light. Most adults with developed eyesight have mature retinas which allow us to easily differentiate between different colours, shades and variations in light. The newborn retina can only detect black and white and see only large differences between light and dark, so less contrasting colours and objects appear to blur together. On average, babies' vision becomes gradually clearer and clearer over the course of their first year, developing until they can see as well as an adult.

The human brain is made up of billions of nerve cells- development in our abilities comes when these cells multiply and connect with each other. The more input we receive, the more the nerve cells multiply and connect [2]. Due to their poorly developed vision, the strongest visual input for young babies comes from high-contrast shapes and patterns, at first in black and white, progressing to bold primary colours such as red over the first 3 months. Showing babies these contrasting patterns will stimulate and drive this growth and development - one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to do this is investing in some black and white resources such as flashcards or sensory boards. Want to help and captivate your little one for free? Download these black and white digital images here.

If babies were to have their eyes constantly covered, never receiving visual input, their optic nerves would never develop. The retinas at the back of each eye would never gain the ability to detect light, dark, or different colours - they would never learn to see like us. 

However, if we show our babies strong visual input, through bright, bold patterns, contrasting black and white images - their optic nerve cells will grow, multiply and connect. Their ability to see objects, focus on them, view beautiful colours will improve and, hopefully, thrive. We really do have the power to help our babies develop their brains, their senses, and their vision- that sense we all rely upon so much. 

References [1] - https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/labour-and-birth/after-the-birth/getting-to-know-your-newborn/ [2] - https://www.askdrsears.com/topics/parenting/child-rearing-and-development/bright-starts-babys-development-through-interactive-play/playtime-articles/visual-stimulation-newborns/#:~:text=Research%20has%20proven%20that%20black%20and%20white%20contrasts,and%20you%20might%20as%20well%20be%20blindfolding%20hi