LONG-TERM VISUAL IMPROVEMENT AFTER SEVERE POST-TRAUMATIC CEREBRAL VISUAL IMPAIRMENT IN A PRESCHOOL CHILD: A CASE REPORT

Background: Long-term outcomes after severe post-traumatic cerebral visual impairment (CVI) in children are rarely described, and evidence for vision rehabilitation in this group is limited to small, uncontrolled reports.
Case presentation: A 3-year-10-month-old child sustained road-traffic polytrauma with neuroimaging findings interpreted as consistent with hypoxic–ischaemic brain injury. Initial eye examination was normal except for significant hypermetropia, and severe bilateral CVI was diagnosed. The child underwent a 336-session, structured vision rehabilitation programme alongside spectacle correction and occupational therapy. At 7.5 years post-injury, binocular Snellen acuity had improved to 6/9, although the right visual field remained non-responsive throughout follow-up; the origin of this field deficit could not be established without formal perimetry or electrophysiology, and concurrent maturation and refractive change limited causal attribution to any single intervention.
Conclusion: Considerable visual recovery can occur even after severe acquired paediatric CVI, and long-term follow-up is needed before a definitive visual prognosis is made, since recovery may continue for years after injury.