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The visual system and the CVI brain

An introduction to the five-part series about the complex and highly connected visual system in our brain

White text on a black background: The visual system and the CVI brain, a five-part series. With images of the brain and eye.

Welcome to our five-part series on the visual system and CVI.

While our eyes are crucial to vision, it’s the brain that actually allows us to see. It’s a complex process—in fact, more than 50 percent of our brain’s surface, or cortex, is devoted to visual processing!

In this series, we’ll take you on a journey through the anatomy of your eyes, your ocular motor system (which enables your eyes to move), and the various pathways in the brain that allow you to process your surroundings. It’s fascinating, complex, and hugely helpful in understanding CVI. 

Part 1: How the eyes work — Understanding ocular conditions that can occur with CVI

Part 2: Ocular motor conditions and CVI — Learn about the complex network in our brain that controls eye movements and the common ocular motor conditions that occur with CVI

Part 3: The visual pathway from the eye to the brain — Trace vision from the retina to the visual cortex, learn what happens if something goes wrong along the way, and visual field loss in kids with CVI

Part 4: Higher-order visual pathways — Exploring the dorsal and ventral visual streams

Part 5: The importance of neuroplasticity — The development of the brain and the visual system, neuroplasticity, and how to enhance brain growth

Before you dive in, visit our glossary. This will help you understand commonly used terms in each of our five articles.

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