4MyChild: Help and Hope for Life

April 27, 2007

Cerebral Palsy and Children with CVI (Cortical Visual Impairment)

A large percentage of children with cerebral palsy also have CVI (Cortical Visual Impairment). In fact, 80% of children with cerebral palsy also have CVI.
The definition: Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) refers to visual impairment due to damage to the visual cortex, the posterior visual pathways or both.

One of the major causes of CVI is asphyxia, meaning that the oxygen supply to the brain was at some point disrupted. Because the visual cortex part of the brain is furthest from the main blood supply (which is how oxygen reaches the brain), the visual cortex is most vulnerable in case of interruption of oxygen. When oxygen is not allowed to get to the brain other areas are also affected which is why CVI rarely occurs on its own without other problems.

Other causes of CVI are developmental brain defects, birth injuries, head injuries and infections of the central nervous system such as encephalitis or meningitis.

If your child suffers from CVI or cerebral palsy- and you are not sure if it was because a birth injury please contact 4MyChild Live CareCenter Specialists for help.