Cerebral Visual Impairment

A form of visual impairment caused by damage to or dysfunction in the brain's visual processing centres, rather than problems with the eyes themselves. CVI is the leading cause of childhood vision impairment in developed countries and is projected to become a leading cause of adult vision impairment as affected children grow up. Unlike ocular vision impairment, CVI affects higher-order visual processing — impacting object recognition, facial perception, visual attention, the ability to perceive multiple objects simultaneously (simultanagnosia), and the processing of complex visual scenes. People with CVI may have normal or near-normal eye exam results while experiencing significant functional vision difficulties. CVI requires different assistive approaches than traditional low vision aids, as the challenge lies in how the brain interprets visual information rather than in the clarity of the image reaching the eyes.