Cortical Visual Impairment / CVI Range
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:
- 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).
Children with CVI can see but have difficulty understanding what they are seeing. With proper treatment, children with CVI have the potential to improve.
Why Choose Us?
Occupational therapists on the CVI Team at Children’s have specialized training. They work closely with the doctors (Ophthalmologists) to:
- Evaluate a child’s functional vision
- Make sure proper vision services are in place
Therapists also help families:
- Understand how their child sees best
- Develop and improve skills
- Find solutions to problems
- Provide suggestions to set up or change an environment
Who Can Benefit?
Children who have a diagnosis of CVI will benefit from this service. CVI is also frequently seen in children who were born prematurely and / or have a diagnosis of:
- Brain Injury
- Cerebral Palsy
- Hearing loss
- Microcephaly
- Seizures
- Stroke
Location of Service
Occupational therapists at the Cincinnati Children's Main (Burnet) Campus, Liberty Campus and Green Township are trained to assess the functional vision of children with Cortical Visual Impairment.
