( In 1987  the dutch prof. Van Nieuwenhuizen first published a book about his research and developed a test to measure it).But still many phycisians and therapists don't know this phenomenon.
It is a rather confusing phenomenon because we are used to the fact that  the way you see  or can't see is a stable factor. If you are far or nearsighted, you take glasses or lenses and the problem is solved.
Or you're blind and sometimes a surgical operation can do some good and that's it...you will have to live with it.
A cortical disorder of the visus  has very unusual symptoms :

• some days you will see a lot better than on other days;
• in a exciting or tense situation or if you're tired, you will see a lot worse;
• the light intensity is very important, natural light (daylight) is preferable, but not too bright (and coming from behind); indirect halogeen light is the best form of artificial light;
• the material,you work with should be grafically very clear, have good contrasts and be in color;
• kiki has problems recognizing 'gestalt'. This is: a number of visual stimuli together form some meaning ( a few lines make a house,f.i.); it's in the brain, that the visual stimuli  are analysed  and interpreted and this process is clearly  disturbed, although still working. It helps to see and recognize things when it is accompagnied by sound (of the object itself or someone else  saying what it is). We all know this: if we see something far away and can't make up our mind, what it is; till someone says: it's a  boat or a ladder, and yes, then we recognize it;
• most important : with a lot of visual training and stimulation eyesight gets better and better; even cases of nearly total recovery are reported.

 

 
 

That is why early recognition of this problem and relevant therapy is upmost important.
 

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A very nasty side effect of this disorder is that Kiki when she meets somebody new, or is tense or nervous wil look very cross eyed; it is a very important social habit to look one another in the eyes, when you have a conversation; for Kiki,  and her cerebral palsy works here negative too, it is nearly impossible to look somebody in the eyes,  even  if or better, especially, when she really wants to.
So it  looks like  Kiki doesn't want to make contact, while in fact she would really want to.
And on top of that  it doesn't look too smart, two eyes looking in different directions.
Luckily Kiki has a very charming smile.
The picture: if the light conditions are bad... !

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