What must be properly balanced for a child to develop binocular vision?

For a child to develop binocular vision, the muscle action of the two eyes must be properly balanced. Binocular vision relies on the coordination and alignment of both eyes to focus on the same point in space. This coordination allows for the perception of depth, which is crucial for spatial awareness and navigation in the environment.

When the muscles surrounding the eyes work together correctly, they ensure that the images from both eyes can be fused into a single, coherent image by the brain. If one eye is misaligned or the muscle action is uncoordinated, it can lead to double vision or visual confusion, which can hinder the development of proper binocular vision.

While brain processing power, field of vision, and depth perception are important aspects of overall vision health, they are contingent upon the successful balance and coordination of the eye muscles to achieve binocular vision initially. Proper muscle function is essential for the visual system to develop in a way that can utilize the depth and field information effectively.