Importance of Hearing and Vision
Babies learn from the time they are born by listening and interacting with the sounds and voices that surround them. The ability to hear and see is an important sense for brain development and helps newborn babies to learn beginning speech and communication skills. If a baby is born with hearing loss, sounds and voices are not heard, delaying language development and future literacy. Good vision plays an important part of an infant’s growth and development. Vision affects the development of gross motor skills in young children, as well as hand-eye coordination, learning, language, literacy and social skills. A baby’s sense of sight will develop gradually over the first 6 to 8 months of life. Regular eye exams with an optometrist, which are covered by OHIP up to 19 years of age, are important to start at 6 months of age.
Recommendations: Hearing
The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends that all newborns have their hearing screened within their first month (Canadian Pediatric Society). In Ontario, there is a fully funded province-wide infant hearing program in place. Babies are screened at birth, often before leaving the hospital. For women who have had a home birth, a screening date is organized through their midwives’ community centre. If a hearing screen was not completed at the time of your baby’s birth, speak to your health care provider or contact a local audiologist.
How does the hearing test work?
A screening technician uses a small microphone to send soft sounds into the baby’s ear. The echo that comes back from these sounds is detected by a computer that can tell whether your baby has heard the sound. This hearing screen can identify a possible hearing loss and a need for further testing. The hearing screen is quick, easy, painless, and is often completed while babies sleep.
What are some signs of hearing loss in a baby?
Parents and caregivers are often the first to notice hearing loss when their baby does not react to their voices or respond with cooing sounds. These are some of the communication milestones that will help you look for early signs of hearing loss in your baby.
- At 3-4 months of age, baby startles or reacts to loud noises around the house and outdoors such as a phone ringing, a dog barking, or an emergency vehicle siren
- Around 6 months of age, baby begins to babble and imitate sounds
- At 9 months, baby turns towards soft spoken words
By 12 months of age, baby says any single words such as “ba-ba”, “da-da”, or “ma-ma”
Why is the hearing screen important?
Hearing loss is a common condition present at birth in Canada. Approximately 4 babies in 1000 experience serious hearing loss. (Ministry of Child and Youth Services)
Early detection of hearing loss is important as the first months of life are critical for developing the speech and language areas of the brain. Children with hearing impairment who are diagnosed early receive appropriate help and are able to develop accordingly to their age. Newborn babies may be fitted with hearing aids and more recently cochlear implants are becoming a possibility for younger children.
If a newborn hearing screen wasn’t completed at the time of your baby’s birth, ask your health care provider or contact an audiologist to book a screening. You do not need a referral to book a hearing screen for your baby or yourself.
Recommendations: Vision
Parents and caregivers are often unaware that their child has a vision problem because the child has no way of knowing the difference between normal vision and low vision. It is estimated that one in four school-aged children has an undetected vision problem that affects their learning (Eye See Eye Learn Program). An eye exam performed by an optometrist is the most accurate way to determine a child’s vision. The current recommendation from the Ontario Association of Optometrists is that infants have their first eye exam at 6 months of age. During the baby’s first eye exam, the optometrist will look for signs of strabismus or crossed eyes, and for signs of amblyopia or a lazy eye. The eye exam is painless, quick, and does not require the baby to recognize any letters, symbols or images.
What are some signs of vision difficulties in a baby?
There are a number of signs and symptoms to watch for that would suggest your child has vision difficulties.
- Look for signs of wandering eyes or crossed eyes (eyes turning in or out)
- Holding objects very close to their face or watching a screen very closely
- Rubbing, closing, or touching eyes frequently
- Watery eyes and frequent blinking
- Any redness, swelling, bumps, or crusting of the eyelids
- Difficulty following moving objects
Important Vision Milestones for babies
- From 1- 3 months, baby will look towards new sounds, watch faces, and follow moving objects
- From 3-5 months, baby will reach for objects and look at objects in their hands
- From 5-7 months, baby will look for distant objects, and hand-eye coordination is developing
From 7-12 months, baby pays attention to books, tracks moving objects or people, and imitates smiling and waving
Treatment for Babies with Low Vision
Early detection to provide vision correction is important to reduce future difficulties with learning and literacy. There are multiple ways of treating eye conditions in young children. Babies can be fitted with glasses that are worn with a strap around their head to keep the glasses in place. An option to correct a lazy eye is the use of eye patching the dominant eye. This will help the weak eye to better develop and will reduce the risk of blindness in the affected eye. Vision plays a very important role in all learning, and children will have better success in school if they are able to see accurately.
How to Find an Optometrist
In Ontario, eye exams for children are covered by OHIP up to 19 years of age. Children can have an eye exam as young as 6 months of age, however, if there is a concern before 6 months, do not hesitate to contact your health care provider or an optometrist. You do not need a referral to book an eye exam for your baby or yourself. You can find a local optometrist; through the yellow pages, the internet, or by word of mouth, and simply call to book an appointment.
Local Vision Programs and Services
Children’s Centre Thunder Bay is the lead agency for the Northern Ontario Blind-Low Vision Program. Children between the ages of 0-6 years diagnosed with low vision or blindness are eligible for family support, intervention and consultative services. Family support services are offered to parents and caregivers.
For more information about infant hearing and vision, and the programs and services available in the Thunder Bay District please visit the links listed below.