The progress of visual development in primates has been carefully documented over many studies in humans and macaque monkeys. Many visual functions are poor in infants and develop to adult levels during the early months and years after birth. However, it is clear that different visual functions develop over different time courses: basic visual processes like acuity and contrast sensitivity precede those that are higher-order and more complex. These later developing aspects of vision are those that require the integration of information over space (such as global form and object recognition) or space-time (such as global motion and pattern motion discrimination), and likely depend on the maturation of visual areas beyond primary visual cortex. Normal development of these critical visual abilities depends on visual experience; abnormal visual input during development results in compromised ability to properly segment and interpret visual information. Investigations into the neural correlates of these developmental processes provide insight into how the organization and maturation of the visual pathways support the ability of young primates to understand the visual world.