The majority of children who are visually impaired have some usable vision. Vision is the sense through which children potentially learn the most about their world. It is used for both gathering information nearby (what can be touched) and at a distance (beyond arm's reach). For young children whose vision is developing typically, 80 to 90 percent of what they learn about the world comes to them through vision. Therefore, if your child's vision is impaired or absent, in all likelihood learning is going to be affected in some way. For this reason, it is important for children with impaired vision to learn to make effective use of all their senses.
The eyes are involved in using vision, but so is the brain. The eyes gather information, but the brain has the job of interpreting and making sense out of that information. Some children's eyes may be fine, but they may have sustained damage to the brain or to the pathway from the back of the eye to the brain. Thus, even though their eyes are functioning well, these children may not be able to process or fully understand the information they are gathering. If your child has such a condition, usually known as cortical or cerebral visual impairment, her teacher of students with visual impairments may be able to work with her to improve her processing of what her eyes see.
The presence of a physical disability also may interfere with your child's use of vision. When a child has to work to maintain control of her head and upper body to keep the head or body from falling forward or to the side, it may be difficult for her to use her vision efficiently. If your child has a physical disability that affects her head or upper body control, you may find it helpful to talk with a physical or occupational therapist or other members of her educational team about strategies that can be used to support her head and upper body. You may find that once she is in a stable position, she will be able to use her vision more effectively.
For some children, the more experiences they have that allow them to build understanding of their environment, the more they learn to gather information through their vision. For example, your child may not know what a blender is and therefore may not appear to see it when it is sitting on the kitchen counter. But if you involve her in using the blender to make a milkshake by having her pour the ingredients into the container with you and then pressing the buttons to operate it, she'll start to know what the blender is and what it is used for. Once she has developed some familiarity with it, you may find that she suddenly sees it on the counter when she is in the kitchen.