Prematurity and Vision
Friday 3 March 2006
Dr Lyn Cresswell, Consultant Paediatrician NHS Lothian
Cerebral Visual Impairment
- Aetiology
- Anatomy
- CVI behaviour
- Case Histories
Cerebral Visual Impairment-Aetiology
- Preterm asphyxia - periventricular white matter damage PVL
- Term asphyxia - occipital cortex damage
- Neuronal Migration abnormalities
- Trauma
- CNS infection
- Hydrocephalus with raised ICP
CVI-Behaviour
- Fluctuant visual loss;
- Impaired visual attention;
- Lack of visual curiosity;
- View objects at short range;
- Pay closer attention to one toy than a range;
- Use touch to explore;
- Look away from an object whilst reaching for it;
- Face is often expressionless;
- Lack visual communication skills;
- Smooth eye movements but may appear aimless;
- Name colours more easily than shape;
- Visual field defects, eg; tunnel vision;
- Light Sensitivity;
- Moving objects seen better than stationary ones.
JC dob 21/09/88
- Spastic quadriparesis;
- visual acuity 6/60 binocular;
- myopia with astigmatism - glasses;
- reduced visual field;
- difficulties with visual processing.
What adaptations to environment or curriculum might you make?
KS dob 05/09/90
- Cerebral visual impairment due to perinatal asphyxia
seizures; - visual acuity 6/12 6/18;
- absent lower visual field;
- marked visual perceptual problems esp. visual memory & discrimination;
- visuomotor problems esp. motor planning.
Tom Age 5
- Twin born at 24 weeks
- 6/12 R 6/60 L (myopia)
- Trips over things
- Walks into door frames and lamp posts
- Cannot find toy in pile of toys
- Can’t see distant objects
- Uncontrolled in supermarkets.
