Close viewing is common, used to magnify the object or to reduce crowding. Overstimulation can result in fading behavior by the child, or in a short visual attention span. The ability of children with CVI to navigate through cluttered environments without bumping into anything could be attributed to blindsight , a brain stem visual system. Children are often able to see better when told what to look for ahead of time. Children with CVI may use their peripheral vision when presented with a visual stimulus, appearing as if they are looking away from the target.
Some children look at an object momentarily and turn away as they reach for it.
All children with CVI will have cognitive deficits. CVI is not a true visual impairment. Children with CVI are totally blind. Children whose visual cortex is damaged are Cortically Blind. A great deal of energy is needed to process information visually.