# Your student has CVI

> A student with CVI has a visual impairment that starts in the brain, so their eyes can test as healthy. Six changes help most. Clear the clutter, show one thing at a time, say your name, wait while the student looks, keep it quiet, and mark steps and edges. Then ask the family what works.

Updated 2026-10-03. Canonical: https://cviexplained.com/teachers/

## One page to print

[Download "Your student has CVI" (PDF, one page)](/media/your-student-has-cvi.pdf). It has what you may notice, what helps, and a box for the family to fill in.

## What you may notice

- The student cannot find things on a busy desk, page or wall.
- The student takes in one thing at a time.
- The student trips on steps and curbs, or misses things low down.
- The student needs extra time to respond to what you show.
- The student looks away or shuts down when the room is loud.
- The student does not know who you are until you speak.
- The student sees better in the morning than in the afternoon.
- The student sees something one day and not the next.

This is vision. It is not behavior, laziness or clumsiness.

## What helps, starting Monday

1. **Clear the clutter.** A plain desk, and a plain wall behind you when you teach.
2. **One thing at a time.** Look, or listen, or write. Not all three together.
3. **Say your name** when you walk up. "Hi Maya, it's Mr. Sean."
4. **Wait.** Stop talking while the student looks. Seeing takes them longer.
5. **Keep it quiet** when the student needs to see.
6. **Mark steps and edges** with bright tape or color.
7. **Plan for tiredness.** Put the hardest looking early in the day.

When the student says "I can't see it," believe them.

## Why a three-minute film

A 2025 study gave UK teachers either a three-minute video or a short text about CVI. Both raised teachers' willingness to change their classrooms. That is why this page has a short film and a one-page guide, and nothing longer.

## What this page is not

It is general information for school staff. It is not a plan for one child. Every student with CVI is different, so ask the family and the student what works, and follow the student's education plan.

## Questions people ask

### I have never heard of CVI. Is that unusual?

No. In a 2025 UK study of 111 teachers, 72 percent had not heard of CVI before the study, and among mainstream primary teachers the figure was 98 percent.

### The student could see it yesterday. Why not today?

Vision with CVI changes with tiredness, noise, clutter and how new the place is. A student who saw something in the morning may not see it in the afternoon. That is the condition, not a lack of effort.

### Is this a behavior problem?

Looking away, shutting the eyes, leaving the seat or not answering can all be ways of coping when seeing becomes too much. Treat it as information about what the student can see right now.

### Who else at school should I talk to?

The family first. Then your school's teacher of the visually impaired and orientation and mobility specialist, and the student's education plan (IEP).

### Can I share this page?

Yes. The one-page guide is free to print and hand out, and the film is free to show in a staff meeting.

## Sources

- [Jayasinghe and others 2025, The CLASS pilot study, PLOS One](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12148153/)
- [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.