Cerebral Visual Impairment in Some U.K. Children

Article: Brain-related visual problems may affect one in 30 primary school children
Source: University of Bristol (U.K.), via ScienceDaily  and Technology Networks
Published: February 3, 2021

Vision is a product of both properly functioning eyes and properly functioning brains. Researchers at the University of Bristol in the U.K. seek to call attention to the possibility that many young children experience undiagnosed brain-related visual impairment. Their study is relatively small, comprising 2,298 children aged 5 to 11 years across 12 schools, and is largely subjective, using teacher and parent questionnaires. Of these school children, the researchers invited only 262 for a detailed assessment and further testing to identify children with brain-related visual problems suggestive of cerebral visual impairment (CVI). The difficulties include problems with eye movements, visual field, recognition of objects and seeing things in clutter. They also found links between visual difficulty and difficulty in school performance and suggest, "If interventions can work to reduce the impact of these problems on children’s learning, it might improve both educational and well-being outcomes for children." Studies in other countries provide an interesting perspective into differences in scope of practice among health professions depending on where they practice. This study was conducted by doctors in the Paediatric Ophthalmology department at Bristol Medical School, however, in the U.S., the scope of this topic would fall under optometry.

My rating of this study: ⭐

Williams C, Pease A, Warnes P, et al. "Cerebral visual impairment-related vision problems in primary school children: a cross-sectional survey." Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. 3 February 2021. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.14819