When can babies see?

Babies are born with the ability to see objects and colors, but they are extremely nearsighted, meaning that far away objects appear blurry to them. Babies see objects that are within 8 to 15 inches away best.

Newborns prefer looking at faces and round shapes that have either light or dark borders. A baby's vision improves over time and by the end of three months, the baby is able to recognize familiar faces even at some distance. Babies enjoy looking at their own faces as well. Color vision is also improving at the same time, so a newborn most appreciates brightly colored objects but not pastel colors as much.