Children with Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) often have typical eye exams. However, there are behaviors that are common to children with CVI. Parents often report that their child:

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• Stares at lights on the ceiling

• Enjoys playing with toys that light up and make sound

• Make poor or no eye contact

• See objects better close up rather than far away

• Likes toys / items of a certain color (i.e. red, yellow)
   

Older children may:

• Have difficulty finding things in their environment (restroom sign, game on a cluttered shelf, items in a store)

• Trip when walking (i.e. miss steps or curbs)

• Difficulty telling the difference between similar letters (i.e. i and l; b or d).

 

Cortical visual impairment (CVI) is a decreased visual response due to a neurological problem affecting the visual part of the brain. Typically, a child with CVI has a normal eye exam or has an eye condition that cannot account for the abnormal visual behavior.

 

The wonderful reality of CVI is that it can, and usually does, get better with appropriate intervention. Tapping into the brain’s to change (Brain Plasticity) provides an opportunity for neuronal activity to be routed from the damaged areas of the visual pathways to other areas of the brain.

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