Treating Vision Issues Related to Cerebral Palsy

Approximately 764,000 kids and adults live with cerebral palsy in the United States. While motor disability usually takes center stage, this condition can often cause vision issues. As many as 75% of kids with cerebral palsy also have issues with visual acuity.

Considering so many kids and adults with cerebral palsy face this hurdle, our team at DeyeNAMICS provides targeted treatments to help people better navigate the world around them. 

Here, we explore how cerebral palsy affects vision and how we can help improve overall function and independence through specialized vision care.

Cerebral Palsy and Vision Issues

Cerebral palsy refers to a group of conditions caused by early brain damage. This brain damage can occur during fetal development or as a result of another condition that affects early brain development.

Cerebral palsy mainly disrupts muscle control. It can affect the whole body or only certain areas, such as your lower limbs.

Now consider that your eye movement also relies on small muscle control, and that your eyes work closely with your brain to enable vision. It becomes clear why a neurological condition like cerebral palsy can lead to vision issues.

These issues include:

• Esotropia — an eye turns inward
• Exotopia — an eye turns outward
• Hypertropia — an eye turns upward
• Hypotropia — an eye turns downward
• Amblyopia — lazy eye
• Nystagmus — involuntary and rapid movement of the eyes
• Gaze apraxia — difficulty directing your gaze
• Accommodative dysfunction – inability to focus the eyes correctly
• Refractive errors, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism

Each of these vision issues can pose further challenges. Poor vision can affect how a child learns and develops and can interfere with everyday movement.

Since movement is already tricky with cerebral palsy, the complications from vision issues can further threaten a person’s ability to function independently. That’s where we can help.

Treating Vision Issues Due to Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy leads to a wide range of vision issues, so treatment plans may vary. We typically use a combination of therapies for each of our cerebral palsy patients that often includes one or more of the following:

• Prescription lenses
• Prism lenses
• Eye movement exercises
• Neuro-Visual Postural Therapy

Neuro-Visual Postural Therapy is an important part of treating vision issues related to cerebral palsy because it helps coordinate the interaction between vision, balance, posture, and spatial awareness. 

If you or a loved one has vision issues associated with cerebral palsy, find out how our neuro-optometry services can make a positive difference. Contact us at one of our offices in Sacramento, Bellflower, or Valencia, California; Guildford, Connecticut; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; or Plano, Texas, to schedule a consultation.