Including visual orienting functions into cerebral visual impairment screening: Reliability, variability, and...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Ophthalmology
• Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

• Cerebral visual impairment (CVI) is a complex neurological condition affecting visual processing.
• It can impair basic visual orienting functions (VOF) and higher-order perception.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the reliability and variability of an eye-tracking VOF paradigm in children with CVI.
• To explore the relationship between VOF and daily visual functioning and visuoperceptual skills.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-three children with CVI underwent eye tracking, visuoperceptual testing, and parent questionnaires.
• Intraclass correlation coefficients and Bland-Altman plots evaluated VOF reliability and variability.
• Linear mixed models analyzed relationships between VOF and clinical characteristics.

Main Results:

• Highly salient stimuli demonstrated good reliability for VOF, showing less variability.
• Less salient stimuli revealed greater VOF variability, correlating with younger age and specific visual impairments.
• Slower reaction times were linked to visual disinterest, clutter, and distance viewing issues.

Conclusions:

• Eye tracking with varying stimulus salience effectively characterizes VOF in CVI.
• Highly salient stimuli identify optimal performance, while variable responses to less salient stimuli are key CVI indicators.