Vision is very immature at birth and takes many years to become adult-like. The immaturities begin in the retina and extend to the primary visual cortex and throughout the dorsal and ventral extrastriate pathways. However, the rates of development differ for different key brain areas and the visual capabilities they allow. Here, we illustrate key functional limitations from the initially immature retina (poor acuity), primary visual cortex (asymmetrical optokinetic nystagmus), extrastriate dorsal stream (insensitivity to global motion), and extrastriate cortex ventral stream (insensitivity to global form). Despite these long developmental trajectories, studies of children treated for bilateral congenital cataract indicate that early visual experience is necessary if the later refinements are to take place.