Your Questions, My Answers

Early vision problems

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Julie Loe

Question

Question: I have a child with CP. The eye Dr. told me that she has Cortical visual impairment and Optic atrophy. Could you please mail me some info on these things ? He is 9 months old.

Answer

Here are definitions of the diagnoses you have been told.

Optic atrophy is degeneration of optic nerve fibers with visual loss proportional to the amount of nerve fibers destroyed.

Cortical visual impairment is visual loss resulting from damage to the visual cortext (the part of the brain specializing in interpreting visual signals), usually without any eye structure damage.

I would suggest that you contact the some of the national resources for visual impairments for specific resources in your area. Your child most likely will qualify for vision services from a specialized teacher.

The book, Children with Visual Impairments, A Parents Guide, from Woodbine Press, edited by M. Cay Holbrook, Ph.D. is an excellent resource. There are more information on this topic at Recommended Readings on this website.

I can provide information about the Early Start Coordinator in your state so that you can access appropriate services for your child.

National Resources for Visual Impairments

	American Council for the Blind www.acb.org
	American Foundation for the Blind www.afb.org/
	Blind Childrens Center http://www.blindcntr.org/bcc/
	Blind Childrens Fund www.blindchildrensfund.org
	Braille Institute of America www.brailleinstitute.org
	National Organization of Parents of Blind Children www.nfb.org
	National Association for visually Handicapped http://www.navh.org/
	National Braille Press www.npb.org
	Vision World Wide, Inc. www.netdirect.net/vision-enhancement

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