The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1903-01-08
& SENSE OF SIGHT
HOW AN INFANT. SLOWLY LEARNS.
TO EXERCISE lT.

As First the Newborn Babe Has the
Power Only to Distinguish Between
Light and Darkness-The Develop
ment Of the Power Of Vision.
The sense most early exercised by
the newborn infant is the sense Of
sight, but at first it has the power only
| to distinguish light from darkness and
is In comparison with it's later devel-
0pment blind, while in many of the
lower creatures the senses are at birth
fully developed. TX.
What difference there is between
the dull eye of the newborn infant and
the sharp vision of the young chick,
which is able to pick up with precision
a grain of corn or even snap up fly
while the eggshell may be still stick
ing to its back! The eye of the infant,
howe is developed very gradually,
and during infancy and childhood it
learns how to see. In the first few days
it notices the difference between light
and darkness when the light is very
intense, and it may even knit it's brow
in sleep if bright light be brought
close to it's face.
On the same principle a striking
bright color will also be, noticed when
held close to the face
In all these cases, however, the in
FAINT follows the object by turning it's
head and not by the movement Of tho
eyes.
The eyelids open and shut from birth.
but they are not always moved at the
same time with the movements of the
eyeballs until the infant has reached
the second or third month. Under two
or three months of age infants do not
wink when the hand or an object is
waved before the face, because they
do not see the hand distinctly.
One Of the remarkable points of in.
terest in the development of the in.
fants power of vision is the way in
which it learns to appreciate the OBJ
iects seen. 1t has to learn to discover
the distance of objects, their shape,
size, character, etc., and this it does
with the assistance of the sense of
| touch.
The face of the mother or nurse is
made familiar in that it is brought so
close to the infants face.
After the infant has learned to see
objects distinctly at the distance of
several feet it begins to use both eyes
in common. At first the eyes act indie
pendently Of each other, so that it un.
doubtedly has double vision and sees
everything double. This double vision
can be produced by many at will by
looking ''cross eyed"
The infant having reached the point
when it sees an object clearly, it must
also begin to understand objects of
three dimensions-that is, to find out
the difference between a fat surface
and solid body. Here the sense of
touch also assists. The infant grasps
an object and, putting it to its lips and
face. satisfies itself as to the shape,
chara ctCr, etc. +..' s~-'-'.
1t is interesting in this connection to
note some cases in which person born
blind RECEIVERS sight when grown.
In one case a young man who had
lost his sight in early infancy was SO
completely blinded that he could not
distinguish even the strongest light
from darkness.
After on operation on one eye had
! been successfully performed he began
| to see objects without understanding
them-not being able to Judge their
! distances from his eye-aLd he felt as
| If everything was touching his eye, so
that to touch an object he at first
would put one finger or the hand up
before his face, pointing at the object
aimed at, and reach forward until his
finger came in contact with the OBJ.
ject.
After he had recovered the use of
both eyes he began to find out that
everything was not fat, but that many
things had certain thickness as we'll
as length and breadth, and in this way
he began to see solid objects.
But even for year or two after COM
plete recovery he was unable to decide
whether certain figure was fat sur
face, as in painting, or solid body.
He was also obliged to learn the diff
ferent animals and objects, not know
ing the difference between a cat and a
dog until he had touched them.
We all go through just the same proc
ess of learning how to see in infancy.
The, child may be two or three years.
or even older, before it has control over
it's eyes and can judge of the distance
Of objects in the room, ety.
The care of the eye is d question Of
great Importance for mothers and
nurses. The eyes of newborn infants
should be carefully washed with fresh.
clear water, and If anything unusual
is noticed the physician should be seen.
The infants eyes are specially to be
protected against too bright light It
is by no means an uncommon thing to
see a nurse wheeling young infant in
the carriage while the light sun is
pouring into the -child's eyes This does
not argue against taking infants into
the sun when the weather is not to
warm, but the eyes should always be
protected against the bright glare.
whether direct or reflected. ~
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