CORTICAL VISUAL
IMPAIRMENT (CVI)
Group presentation
Region 10 GROUP A (Lucy Davis, Monica Degrate, Nkeiruka Dike, Mindy Allen
WHAT IS CVI?
Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) is an acquired bilateral visual acuity loss
caused by brain damage to the occipital lobes and/or damage to the
posterior (geniculostriate) visual pathway located behind the macula. A
child’s eye movements, pupil reactions and eye examinations may appear to
be normal, yet the child is unable to see normally because the brain damage
produces disturbed and inefficient visual processing and visual sense.
WHAT IS CVI?
CVI is caused by any event that produces damage to the visual parts of the
brain, including stroke, hydrocephalus (increased brain pressure), seizures,
decreases in blood flow or oxygen to the brain, infection (meningitis or
encephalitis), or head trauma. Head trauma, accidental or intentional (as in
the case of Shaken Baby Syndrome), is the leading cause of CVI in children in
the United States.
COMMON TREATMENTS
Can cortical visual Impairment be treated?
• Yes, but the degrees of success varies. Treatment of CVI is important and
should be organized by the primary physician. It is also important to start
early intervention to help stimulate visual development. Since there is limited
time frame for visual development, it is crucial to have treatment as young
as possible to maximize improvement. The appropriate state of local agency
should be contacted for available services.
• To help maximize treatment of cortical visual impairment, parents and
caregivers should keep a written list of specific problems, changes and
observations for discussion at each physician visit. Treatment may include
glasses or eye muscle surgery which can help maximize visual function.
COMMON TREATMENTS
• Visual stimulating exercise is part of treatment. This includes feeling/
touching various materials and trying to recognize them. This has proven to
help children with CVI the way they are able to perceive things and use
vision. For visual stimulation to be effective, it need to be dramatic. For
instance, the way in which a child is able to use and switch his visual
attention. This can only be done by giving the correct stimulation at the
correct frequency, intensity and duration in the correct therapeutic
environment.
COMMON TREATMENTS
• Maribelle Exercise Assist System: This may help someone that has cortical
visual impairment. Movement helps cortically blind people vision improve
after therapy http://babyloveproducts.com/merry/merrymuscles7.html.
• Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: This also help improve vision for individuals with
Cortical Visual Impairment. An article in this web site has more informations—
• http://www.altmol.com/Articles/Hyperbaric-oxygen-Theraphy-HBOT-for
infants
• Any type of cortical visual impairment will have to be treated patiently
because the person will take a while to recognize simple objects and faces
even after consistent exposure.
ANTICIPATED FUNCTIONAL
IMPLICATIONS OF THE CONDITION
• Provide time to process things visually. Frequent “vision breaks” help, as well
as refraining from primarily visual tasks when a child is hungry, tired or ill.
• Try to pair touch or sound/verbal descriptions with visual tasks to attract the
child’s attention and to activate other senses.
• Use movement and bright, shiny colors to activate visual attention and
capitalize on varying visual fields and use of peripheral vision. Presenting
items from the side first, then moving them towards the center, can often
help a child respond visually.
ANTICIPATED FUNCTIONAL
IMPLICATIONS OF THE CONDITION
• Avoid clutter and overstimulation. Present items one at a time on a dark
background. Select books with one large picture per page or a solid color
ball or blocks. Keep it simple and increase visual complexity slowly over time.
• Repetition and use of familiar, concrete and preferred objects helps.
Develop a routine way to present items/complete tasks to be used by all
caregivers.
REFERENCES
• Brown, C. (n.d.). Assessing and facilitating the use of functional vision in
young children who are visually impaired. Retrieved 6-16-2014 from
www.infantva.org/documents/pr-itc-vafunctionalvision.pdf
• Good, W., Jan, J., Burden, S., Skoczenski, A. Rowan, A. (2001). Recent
advances in cortical visual impairment. Developmental Medicine & Child
Neurology 43: 56 – 60.
• Cortical Visual Impairment (2014). Retrieved from
www.aapos.org/terms/conditions/40
• Cortical Visual Impairment Pediatric Visual Diagnosis Fact Sheet (Fall 1998).
Retrieved from www.tsbvi.edu/seehear/falll98/cortical.htm
• What is CVI? (2012). Retrieved from www.aph.org/cvi/define.html
LINK TO RESOURCES
• Case Study
• Information regarding 2nd grader with CVI.
• Brochure
• Similar info to PPT in brochure format