Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neurological condition that affects movement, coordination, and posture, often caused by early brain damage. Beyond motor challenges, CP can also impact eyesight and visual processing. The DeyeNAMICS team in California, Connecticut, Iowa, and Texas, provide special care and treatment for children with CP who have difficulties with posture, movement, eye tracking, focusing, or aligning their eyes. These vision issues are linked to the brain’s ability to process visual information effectively. To learn more, book an appointment by phone or online today.

What is cerebral palsy (CP)?

CP is a neurological disorder affecting movement, coordination, muscle tone, and posture. The severity of CP can vary, with some individuals having mild difficulties while others experience significant physical and cognitive challenges.

What causes cerebral palsy?

CP is caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the brain during the early stages of life, often before birth. Common causes include:

• Lack of oxygen during birth (birth asphyxia)
• Infections during pregnancy
• Premature birth
• Brain injuries in infancy

In some cases, the exact cause of CP may not be fully known, but it typically affects areas of the brain responsible for motor function.

How does cerebral palsy affect vision?

Since visual processing occurs in the brain, CP will affect visual processing. The visual processing dysfunction will directly affect posture and movement in addition to causing problems with eye tracking, focusing, and coordinating eye movements, causing difficulty with eating and other independent abilities. A visual processing dysfunction will affect and interfere with quality of life.

In some cases, children may also have misalignment of the eyes (strabismus) or experience difficulties interpreting visual information due to damage in the brain’s visual processing centers. These challenges can hinder visual attention and motor coordination, making it harder for children with CP to maintain balance, move smoothly, or complete visually demanding tasks.

How are vision issues caused by cerebral palsy treated?

The DeyeNAMICS team often treats children with CP with vision issues with a combination of therapies and specialized lenses. For example, they may recommend prescriptive lenses with prisms to address posture, movement, eye alignment, and focusing difficulties, thereby improving the child’s visual comfort and clarity. 

In addition, they may offer Neuro-Visual Postural Therapy™ (NVPT) as an effective treatment that helps children improve visual processing, which affects posture and movement. This therapy aims to restore the balance between the spatial visual process (which controls posture and balance) and the focal visual process (which is essential for attention and concentration). 

The DeyeNAMICS providers offer personalized treatment plans, focusing on improving the child’s ability to balance visual processing dysfunction in the brain, which can enhance both their vision and overall motor coordination.

If you have a child with cerebral palsy, schedule an eye appointment with the experts at DeyeNAMICS. Call or book online today.