Infant Cortical Visual Impairment

Infant cortical visual impairment (CVI) is usually a direct result of a lack of oxygen (anoxia) to the brain.  Anytime there is a problem with oxygen deprivation during or immediately following birth CVI is a real possibility.

Aside from infant cortical visual impairment, CVI can appear anytime after birth and at any age as a result of anoxia. Some causes of anoxia are heart attacks, infections, epileptic seizures, or a chemically-induced oxygen deprivation as caused in drug overdoses or poisoning.

When an infant as anoxia-induced CVI they will also have other problems.  The most common of these associated challenges are sensory and motor-skill problems which involve the central nervous system.

An infant with CVI will appear normal; there usually won’t be any outwardly visible change of the eyes that can be identified at being a result of CVI.  What will be noticeable will be the infant’s inability to visually follow objects.

In addition, they may have a tendency to only look directly at an object for a moment or two before looking away, and then often glance back at the object again. The pattern appears to be look-glance away-look again.  They will also only reach for an object after looking away from it.

A baby with infant cortical visual impairment will try to get close to an object in an attempt to reduce surrounding visual distractions.  CVI does not appear to affect an infant’s ability to distinguish color. In fact, red and yellows seem to be the easiest colors to recognize.

Excessive sleeping is often how an infant with cortical visual impairment will take a break from too much visual stimulation.  If the visual input is accompanied by excessive noise, the baby may become visibly upset; restless and crying.  If this is occurring you need to cut down on the sound and visual stimulation that is overloading the baby’s senses.

Often modifying the surroundings of a baby with infant cortical visual impairment will help reduce the effects of too much sensory input. Sometimes that can be as simple as using solid colors or removing some of the visual stimulation objects or toys in the nursery. To encourage reaching try using a single-colored toy that has a light or sound effect.

For more information about brain injuries similar to infant cortical visual impairment, click here.