CVI and the Evaluation of Functional Vision

In this webcast  Dr. Christine Roman presents an overview of Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI), with a look at diagnosis, characteristic behaviors, functional vision evaluation, and strategies for intervention to improve functional vision.  CVI is now the leading cause of visual impairment in children.

Diagnosis:

1. Normal eye exam
2. Big neurologic event
3. 10 characteristic behaviors (listed below)

Characteristics of CVI:

1. Color:  unusual attention to color
2. Movement:  attention to movement
3. Latency:  delayed response to visual stimulus
4. Complexity: difficulty with visual complexity
5. Visual Field Differences:  child may notice things on one side more clearly than the other, or in upper or lower field.
6. Visual Novelty:  child with CVI often prefers looking at things that are familiar
7. Reflex Response:  often don't respond when touched on bridge of nose or in response to visual threat
8. Distance Viewing:  often prefer near viewing
9. Light Gazing:  drawn to look at light
10. Visually-Directed Reach:  often unable to look and reach as a single action

Strategies include:

1.  Using the child's preferred color to call attention to something (as with the yellow pompom above).

2.  Decreasing visual clutter and thereby minimizing visual complexity

3.   Presenting items against a plain black background with clear contrast

For more ideas, see strategies and resources on Paths to Literacy and Cortical Visual Impairment: An Approach to Assessment and Intervention by Dr. Christine Roman-Lantzy.