Visual Impairment
Overview
More than half of children with CP exhibit strabismus, a condition where the muscles that control eye movement are out of balance, causing the eyes to be misaligned. The misalignment of the eyes causes double vision, which the brain stops by turning off vision in one eye. In children, this change can be permanent if the double vision is not corrected in the early years.
Acuity loss may be present by itself or with cortical visual impairment.
Field defects, especially homonymous hemianopsia and variants, are seen in hemiplegic cerebral palsy.
CVI is a broad term for visual and perceptual vision impairments that are a result of dysfunction, anomaly, or injury to the posterior visual pathways. [Pehere: 2018] It is the most common cause of visual impairment in children in developed countries. [Ozturk: 2016] CVI needs to be carefully considered because it can further increase a child’s disability. With CVI, the structure of the globe is normal, and children with CVI will exhibit normal pupillary reactions to light and normal eye movements, yet do not respond to visual information. It is caused by hypoxia ischemia, developmental brain defects, and various insults to the brain, such as infection and trauma.
Assessment
Resources
Information & Support
For Parents and Patients
Cortical visual impairment (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
Information about cortical visual impairment (CVI) for parents and educators from the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology
and Strabismus.
Helpful Articles
Ozturk T, Er D, Yaman A, Berk AT.
Changing trends over the last decade in the aetiology of childhood blindness: a study from a tertiary referral centre.
Br J Ophthalmol.
2016;100(2):166-71.
PubMed abstract
Page Bibliography
Odding E, Roebroeck ME, Stam HJ.
The epidemiology of cerebral palsy: incidence, impairments and risk factors.
Disabil Rehabil.
2006;28(4):183-91.
PubMed abstract
Ozturk T, Er D, Yaman A, Berk AT.
Changing trends over the last decade in the aetiology of childhood blindness: a study from a tertiary referral centre.
Br J Ophthalmol.
2016;100(2):166-71.
PubMed abstract
Pehere N, Chougule P, Dutton GN.
Cerebral visual impairment in children: Causes and associated ophthalmological problems.
Indian J Ophthalmol.
2018;66(6):812-815.
PubMed abstract / Full Text