When Does a Puppy's Eyesight Improve?

Not only are newborn puppies unable to see due to their still-developing peepers, their eyes simply are not open at all yet, either. Wee puppies spend the first days and weeks of their young lives without experiencing any sight whatsoever. Thankfully, this changes relatively quickly for the growing little cuties.

  1. Straight After Birth

    • Newborn puppies start their lives dependent and unable to care for themselves in any way. Not only are their eyes completely shut, their ears are closed too -- making the tiny creatures both blind and deaf. Because of the lack of these available senses, puppies have to rely heavily on either their mother dogs or human caretakers -- or both. Puppies' eyes are not shut without good reason. Since their eyes are still developing, it is vital for the process to not be interrupted -- or ruined -- by the accidental entry of random items, such as debris or dust in the air. Severe lighting can also be hazardous to young puppy eyes.

    Welcoming Eyesight

    • Although puppies immediately possess the ability to taste and feel things, eyesight takes a brief period of time to come around. When puppies are between the ages of 2 and 4 weeks old, their eyes finally open up to the world around them. At this point, their eyesight is beginning to hone its abilities, making way for a curious, energetic and investigative youngster -- a definite change from the defenseless newborn of merely weeks earlier.

    Initial Eyeball Appearance

    • Once a puppy's eyes open up, they are still nowhere close to fully realized. When you first can see puppies' delicate eyeballs, they tend to have a grayish or blue tinge to them -- with zero separation between the irises and pupils. Their eyes may have a foggy look to them in general, although this is only temporary.

    Strong Eyesight

    • When a puppy is between 4 and 5 weeks in age, his vision should be much more sophisticated than before -- not unlike the vision of fully mature canines. The foggy and blue look of the eyes should be gone around this time frame too. This puppy is ready to use his eyes and explore his surroundings, whether outside or inside. If you have any concerns regarding your puppy's eyesight development, schedule an appointment with your veterinarian as soon as possible.