About the project

‘Growing up with CVI’ is an interdisciplinary research project on visual perception disorders (CVI) in childhood and their consequences for children with CVI and their families. The aims of the project are to (a) investigate the prevalence of CVI in childhood and (b) learn about the experiences of children with CVI and their parents. The results will contribute to improving medical, psychological, educational and social support for children with CVI and their families.

Visual perception disorders are referred to as CVI (cerebral visual impairment) and encompass a whole range of possible visual impairments, the cause of which lies in the brain. Children with CVI may, for example, have difficulty perceiving shapes, facial expressions and faces, as well as spaces and distances, or they may perceive them in a distorted way or not at all. These disorders are often only discovered at kindergarten or primary school age, because children then have to perform increasingly demanding visual tasks. In addition, these disorders are sometimes inadequately diagnosed or not diagnosed at all, which can have a significant impact on the child’s future.

We therefore aim to investigate the prevalence of visual perception disorders in children in Switzerland for the first time and develop suggestions on how affected children can be supported in the future.

Our questions are scientifically and socially relevant because research from other countries suggests that CVI is significantly more prevalent in children than previously thought.

If this is also true for Switzerland, the questions arise of what experiences children with undiagnosed CVI currently have, how CVI can be detected as early as possible in children, and how children with CVI should be supported in the future.

Project duration and financing

The project started in August 2025 and will run for 31 months. It is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).