Welcome to the When to Suspect CVI learning guide! These are curated resources from our larger pool of CVI content to help you recognize the signs of CVI. Once you’re familiar with common CVI behaviors, you can learn how CVI is diagnosed, who diagnoses CVI, and next steps. Plus, read about the diagnosis journeys of children and adults with CVI and their families.
If you or your child experiences visual difficulties or displays unexplained behaviors, it’s important to consider Cerebral/Cortical Visual Impairment, or CVI.
CVI is caused by damage to the brain’s visual pathways or visual processing areas. It is common in neurodevelopmental conditions, and it often co-occurs with cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and developmental delay. Emerging research also shows CVI prevalence in Down syndrome, autism, and rare diseases. Complications from premature birth, lack of oxygen, pediatric stroke, and genetic conditions are common causes of CVI, too.
For you or your child to be diagnosed with CVI, symptoms must not be explainable by other eye conditions. CVI can also occur with healthy eyes, without any other conditions.
Some questions to consider if you suspect CVI:
Download our shareable PDFs on when to suspect CVI
Diagnosing CVI can be complex. Brain scanning and eye exams cannot “see” CVI. Some of the symptoms of CVI are similar to other conditions that are more well known. And because many people with CVI have multiple diagnoses, CVI diagnosis is even more nuanced — But not impossible or unnecessary.
If you know your child isn’t using their vision the way they should, ask the doctor: “Is this CVI?”
Be familiar with:
CVI is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits of visual function and functional vision that are caused by neurologic damage to visual pathways and processing areas in the brain.
Chang, M. & Merabet, L. (2024). “Special Commentary: Cerebral/Cortical Visual Impairment Working Definition.” Ophthalmology, 131, 12, 1359 – 1365.
A diagnosis of Cerebral/Cortical Visual Impairment is a big step in your or your child’s vision journey, but it’s difficult to know what to do next. Here’s what we suggest:
It can be difficult to find a medical provider who is able to evaluate for and diagnose CVI because access to CVI expertise in the medical community is limited. However, The CVI Center at Perkins works with the medical community to raise awareness of CVI, encourage the development of standardized and clinically validated diagnostic tools, and help improve diagnostic rates— because kids with CVI can’t wait.
Part of that work is a starting place for families (and not an official endorsement): The CVI Doctor Directory This directory is a work in progress. We know there are more medical professionals in each state who know about CVI.
More helpful links for getting a CVI diagnosis
Start exploring diagnosis stories from individuals with CVI and their families:
Learn about what CVI is, the common CVI visual behaviors, signs of visual fatigue, what people with CVI might see, and how CVI is evolving.
Learn about the current CVI assessments, what accessible learning looks like, communication and CVI, helpful calendar systems, and explore our education hub.