Which statement about cortical visual impairment is true?

• A. It is a visual impairment due to brain processing rather than the eye.
• B. It is caused by cataracts.
• C. It improves with vitamin A supplementation.
• D. It is always temporary.

Answer: (A)

Cortical visual impairment is a vision problem that comes from the brain’s processing of visual information, not from the eye itself. The eyes may look normal and send signals, but the brain’s visual cortex or related pathways don’t interpret that information in a typical way. This distinction is why the issue isn’t due to something like a cataract, which affects the lens of the eye, or something vitamin A could fix—those would involve ocular structures or nutrition, not brain processing.

Understanding this helps explain why the statement is true: the impairment centers on how the brain interprets visual input, rather than on pathology of the eye. CVI can persist even when eye health is good, and it isn’t considered something that is inherently temporary. Management focuses on ways to optimize visual function through brain-friendly strategies, such as using simple, high-contrast stimuli, reducing visual clutter, and pairing vision with other senses to support learning and attention.