New App Lets Parents See Through Baby ’ s Eyes

BOSTON (CBS) — Unlike many other animals, human babies are born with their eyes open, but what can they actually see?  Not much.  As Dr. Mallika Marshall reports, a new app is allowing parents a glimpse of what the world looks like to a young child. Cordelia Angle is a healthy baby girl who seems to take in the world around her, but in truth, her 5-month old eyes don’t see that clearly. Baby Cordelia Angle taking a vision test (WBZ) Dr. David Hunter, a pediatric ophthalmologist at Boston Children’s Hospital, says newborn babies don’t have 20/20 vision and while their vision improves quickly over the first year of life, it isn’t fully developed until about age 5. “Time and again, whether I’m in the office or even if I’m at a cocktail party if I bump into to a new mom…they’ll want to know, ‘What can my baby see?’” explains Dr. Hunter. After years of being asked that question and based on decades of research on infant vision, Dr. Hunter and colleagues at his Boston-based company, REBIScan, developed the BabySee app.  It allows parents to see what their baby sees beginning at birth. “You turn it around and see your own face and what features of your face a baby might or might not be able to make out,” explains Dr. Hunter. “You can smile and wave your arm but a child who’s a newborn isn’t necessarily going to see that,” says Justin Shaka, co-founder and CEO of REBIScan. That’s especially eye opening...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Local News Syndicated Local CBS Boston Dr. Mallika Marshall WBZ Source Type: news