# CVI Explained

> CVI is a vision problem that starts in the brain, not the eyes. The eyes can be perfectly healthy. The brain has trouble turning what they send into a picture that makes sense. CVI stands for cortical (or cerebral) visual impairment, and it's a leading cause of vision loss in kids in the United States.

CVI Explained is what a parent hands to the people who need to get it: teachers, grandparents, sitters, doctors. A parent made it, and every fact is tied to a named source.

## Start with who you are

- [I'm a parent](https://cviexplained.com/md/parents.md): what to send, print and say, plus a free helper for school emails
- [I'm a teacher](https://cviexplained.com/md/teachers.md): a three-minute film and a one-page guide
- [Something's off with my kid's vision](https://cviexplained.com/md/signs.md): the signs, and what to ask the doctor
- [What is CVI?](https://cviexplained.com/md/what-is-cvi.md): the full plain-language explanation
- [The film](https://cviexplained.com/md/film.md): about five minutes, with a transcript

## What helps

1. **Clear the clutter.** One thing on the table. A plain wall behind you.
2. **One thing at a time.** Look, or listen, or reach. Pick one.
3. **Say who you are.** "Hi Maya, it's Grandpa." Faces are hard.
4. **Wait.** Count to ten. Don't fill the silence.
5. **Turn down the noise.** A loud room crowds out vision.
6. **Mark the edges.** Bright tape on stairs and curbs.

When a kid with CVI says they can't see it, believe them.

## Questions people ask

### What is CVI?

A vision problem that starts in the brain, not the eyes. The eyes can be perfectly healthy. The brain has trouble turning what they send into a picture that makes sense. CVI stands for cortical (or cerebral) visual impairment.

### What does a kid with CVI actually see?

Nobody can show you exactly, and it's different for every kid. Common things: a busy scene won't split into separate objects, only one thing shows up at a time, faces are hard to read, and the bottom of the view is missing. It isn't blur.

### Why can she see it one day and not the next?

Seeing takes a kid with CVI real effort. When she's tired, or the room is loud, cluttered or new, it gets harder. It's not attitude, and it's not a lack of trying.

### Will glasses fix it?

No. Glasses fix eyes, and CVI is in the brain. Some kids with CVI also need glasses for a separate eye problem.

### Is CVI rare?

No. The US National Eye Institute calls it a leading cause of vision loss among kids in the United States. Many kids are never diagnosed, because their eye exams can look normal.

## Sources

- [National Eye Institute, Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI)](https://www.nei.nih.gov/eye-health-information/eye-conditions-and-diseases/cerebral-visual-impairment-cvi)
- [Perkins School for the Blind, What is CVI?](https://www.perkins.org/what-is-cvi/)

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CVI Explained gives general information. It is not medical or legal advice and it does not diagnose.