Kids, particularly babies, appear to have large eyes relative to their face size. This isn't because their eyes are unusually large in absolute terms, but because of the way their bodies develop.
Proportional Growth and Development
Babies' eyes are already approximately 70% of their adult size at birth. [^1, ^6] This is a significant portion of their overall facial structure, which is still developing. Normal infant development proceeds from the head down, meaning the head and facial features grow more rapidly initially compared to the rest of the body. [^1, ^6] Therefore, the relatively large eyes are more noticeable in the context of a smaller face. As the child grows, the face and the rest of the body catch up, making the eyes seem proportionally smaller. [^2, ^4] While an infant's eye diameter might only be 17mm, this is large compared to the size of their face at that age. [^3, ^7] The eyes themselves don't experience significant growth beyond infancy, contributing to this perceived disproportion. [^4]
Evolutionary and Social Aspects
The perception of "big eyes" in babies is also linked to our innate responses. We are biologically programmed to find certain features in babies, including large eyes, endearing. [^4, ^5] This "cute" response triggers nurturing instincts, crucial for the survival of infants. [^5] Research suggests this evolutionary preference for baby-like features extends beyond human babies, influencing our attraction to other animals with similar features. [^4] In essence, the perception of large eyes in children plays a key role in promoting care and protection from adults.
Medical Considerations
It's important to note that exceptionally large eyes in infants or children could sometimes indicate underlying medical conditions such as buphthalmos (enlarged eyeballs). [^9] Conditions like Noonan syndrome can also feature characteristic eye features, including wide-set or down-slanting eyes. [^8] However, these are exceptions and do not apply to the typical appearance of relatively larger eyes in healthy infants.
[^1]: Babies' eyes appear to be very large because normal infant development proceeds from the head down and newborn babies' eyes are already about 70% of their adult size. They will continue to grow and develop for the first two years of life. (Infant Eye Development - Irishhealth Clinic)
[^2]: Babies are born with almost their full eye size. The rest is definitely not full sized. So the eyes appear disproportionally... (Is it just me, or do babies have really big eyes? : r/NoStupidQuestions)
[^3]: Babies do seem to have big eyes, but they are actually quite a bit smaller than a five-year-old's. The diameter of an infant's eye is only 17 mm. (Why do babies have big eyes? - Quora)
[^4]: Eyeballs do not grow (much) from birth, so babies have relatively large eyes compared to their heads. We are programmed to find babies cute... (ELI5: Why do oversized eyes, particularly in animals, seem "cute" to ...)
[^5]: We survived because we evolved to care for our babies. Babies that look and act in pleasing ways are the best cared for and survived the best. (Are we attracted to big eyes because babies have proportionately ... )
[^6]: Babies' eyes appear to be very large because normal infant development ... babies' eyes are already about 70% of their adult size. They will continue... (Infant Eye Development - Irishhealth Clinic)
[^7]: Babies do seem to have big eyes, but they are actually quite a bit smaller than a five-year-old's. The diameter of an infant's eye is only 17 mm... (Why are a kid's eyes so big? - Quora)
[^8]: Eyes are wide-set, slant down and have droopy lids. Eyes may be pale ... Children who have one parent with Noonan syndrome who carries... (Noonan syndrome - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic)
[^9]: The most visible sign of buphthalmos is having large eyeballs when you're an infant. Either one or both of your eyes might be big. Depending on what's causing... (Buphthalmos (Eyeball Enlargement): Causes & Treatment)
