it is common for baby to open her eyes immediately after birth.  She may keep her eyes open for several minutes or longer.  This is probably an instinctive behavior that helped with bonding with the mother and father immediately after birth. After that however, parents of a newborn infant may wonder when she is going to open her eyes again.  In the first few days of life it is common for the baby to keep her eyes closed most of the time. She will be very sensitive to bright lights.  She may also have some eyelid swelling in the newborn period due to medications place in the eye immediately after birth.

After a few days you will notice that your baby will open her eyes intermittently.  She will focus on objects 8 to 12 inches away.  This is the perfect distance for looking at her mother's or father's face. Your baby's eyes will wander aimlessly because she will be unable to follow objects with her gaze (sometimes called tracking). Her eyes may cross or they roll back in her head, especially when she's tired.

Newborn infants prefer looking at faces. When looking at objects or patterns, they prefer black-and-white or high-contrast things. Babies have color vision but seem more attuned to color differences and contrast than specific color choices.

Her vision will improve and her ability to track will begin to develop in the first month.  You can help your baby develop her vision by moving objects for your face back and forth in front of her.

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