Vision care and cerebral palsy: bathing, hygiene, dental care, dressing, exercise, feeding, hearing, nutrition, play, seizures, sleep, suctioning techniques, suppositories & enemas and toilet training & bowel issues.

“Cortical visual impairment is sometimes a problem which accompanies CP. It means that the child does not seem to see, or does not seem to see well (due to damage in the visual cortex of the brain), even though the eyes appear to function properly. This is a condition which may persist into adulthood but, in many cases, may recover to some extent. Stimulation of the eyes by using lights and bright colors can be or enormous benefit in helping the recovery process. Ensure that the room is always brightly lit when the child is doing any activity unless you are deliberately wishing to isolate bright objects such as colored bulbs etc. The following tips may help you to create some enjoyable visual stimulation for your child:

• You could make a play mat out of shiny paper covered with sticky-backed clear plastic (the kind you can buy in rolls for covering textbooks etc.) You can further add to the effect by scattering glitter and other shiny objects under the plastic. You can add squeaky buttons to bring auditory stimulation and pleasure into the game.
• Set up Christmas lights and Christmas decorations on a frame for your child to play under.
• Get an ultra violet light and rig it up in a room where you can cut out other lights. Show your child shapes cut out of florescent paper under the ultra violet light. There has been some concern that too much exposure to ultra violet can be harmful (such as causing cataracts) so be very careful not to keep her under the light for very long.
• Get hold of some disco lights and let her enjoy frequent light shows.
• Make sure you have a bright light shining on her toys when you are playing with her. (The Cerebral Palsy Handbook: p. 112 –113)

“Due to problems with muscle tone, children with cerebral palsy are more likely than other children to have certain vision problems. For example, half of all children with cerebral palsy have eye muscle imbalance or strabismus (crossed eyes) and refractive errors (nearsightedness or farsightedness). In fact, strabismus occurring in the first few months of life is sometimes the clue that first alerts medical professionals to the presence of cerebral palsy. Children with cerebral palsy are also more likely to develop amblyopia, the condition known as “lazy eye” in which the brain suppresses vision in one eye because of problems caused by strabismus or cataracts. Amblyopia can be corrected if discovered early in life. A few children are partially or totally blind due to brain injury in the visual pathways (cortical blindness). And premature infants are at risk for retinopathy of prematurity.” (Children with Cerebral Palsy: p. 19)

“About three out of four children with cerebral palsy have refractive errors, or decreased acuity. Most commonly, they have hyperopia (farsightedness) – they can see far objects clearly, but nearby objects are blurred. Children with cerebral palsy are also more likely to have myopia (nearsightedness) – they can see close objects, but distant objects are blurry. Some children with cerebral palsy have astigmatism, or blurry vision caused by abnormal curvature of the cornea. Symptoms of refractive errors you may notice in your child include squinting, cross eyes, holding objects close to her face, bumping into objects, and problems with fine motor coordination. Your child might also complain of blurred vision or eye fatigue.

Glasses or contact lenses can improve vision for children with refractive errors. While your child is an infant or still quite young, however, she may be able to manage without corrective lenses. For example, a moderate refractive error which makes far objects blurred may not interfere with a young child’s daily activities. Deciding whether or not to use glasses in these instances is often up to the parents and the ophthalmologist.” (Children with Cerebral Palsy: p. 77-78)

“A large number of children with cerebral palsy have strabismus, a condition in which the eyes are not aligned because of differences in the left and right eye muscles.”
NINDS

“People who have CP may also experience a range of conditions in addition to impaired motor function. These may include…”
Cerebral Palsy and Children with Vision and Hearing Loss

“There is evidence that both hearing and vision become worse with age so that periodic reexamination becomes necessary.”
Thecpnetwork.org



	Vision problems are very common in children with cerebral palsy with a number of different manifestations including farsightedness, nearsightedness, strabismus, amblyopia and astigmatism. Visit and links at the bottom of this page and the excerpts below for an introduction to the problems and interventions available to a child with cerebral palsy.