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