Association of binocular lower visual field impairment, impaired simultaneous perception, disordered visually guided motion and inaccurate saccades in children with cerebral visual dysfunction - a retrospective observational study

The principal pathways serving higher visual function comprise the dorsal stream and the ventral stream. The dorsal stream runs between the occipital lobes and the parietal lobes and subserves the ability to process the whole visual scene and carry out visually guided movement. The ventral stream runs between the occipital lobes and temporal lobe tissue and primarily subserves visual recognition and memory. These tissues are susceptible to dysfunction in children with brain damage. We report a series of 40 children in whom damage to the brain has led to a common symptom complex affecting vision. Lower visual field loss was frequently elicited. This was associated with impaired ability to make accurate visually guided movement ( particularly of the lower limbs) accompanied by impaired simultaneous perception, and in some cases, with inaccurate saccades and in others, impaired perception of movement. These features are consistent with parietal/ dorsal stream dysfunction. Difficulty recognising faces and problems with route finding ( which are ventral stream functions) were also present in a number of the children. These visual difficulties can be manifest in the presence of normal visual acuity. Recognition of these problems leads to understanding of the child's visual difficulties and facilitates adaptation of curriculum delivery at school.