T H E R A P Y
CVI CERTIFIED
Sherry Gurney, CLVT and Lynda Crouch, CLVT, OT, ATP
BY JULIE WILSON
The Little Light House is blessed to
have on our staff two outstanding
members, Sherry Gurney (on the right)
and Lynda Crouch (on the left), who are
certified low vision therapists holding
endorsements for the Perkins-Roman
CVI Range.
The Perkins-Roman endorsment is a particular
tool for assessing Cortical Vision Impairment
with a specific purpose. This purpose is to de-
termine the degree of impact or extent of effect
of CVI. There are no other therapists in Oklaho-
ma with this training and achieving this endorse-
ment is no small task. Hours and hours of study,
testing and clinical experience are mandated
prior to sitting for the endorsement exam.
So what then is Cortical Vision Impairment
(CVI)? It is a neurological condition where the
brain has difficulty interpreting the information
received from the eyes. A child may appear as
if not looking at toys or faces and often looks
away. Sometimes this is interpreted that they
are not interested in or do not like a toy. The
child may have difficulty looking at objects that
have busy visual backgrounds, or may prefer
certain colors: e.g. red or yellow. Their eye doc-
tor may say there is nothing wrong with the eye
itself but parents may still feel that their child is
not focusing on objects, looks away to reach for
objects, or needs light and movement of objects
to “see” them.
At Little Light House, you will see these two
women working with our children to identify who
would benefit from this additional assessment
and development of a vision therapy program
specifically designed for the individual child.
Specialized equipment, lights, colors, textures
and positioning devices are used to maximally
stimulate the child’s vision and to participate in
the Bible story being taught in the classroom.
We also offer an alternative Praise and Wor-
ship experience each week providing a dark-
ened and quiet environment to stimulate vision
experiences while utilizing soft, calming music.
This allows children with CVI to participate in
praising Him for all of His blessings. The quiet
environment helps the children “turn on” their
vision when fewer environmental influences are
competing in their little bodies.
We are truly blessed that the Lord has raised
Sherry and Lynda to complete this training and
help our children shine their lights brightly for
Him by helping them learn to “see” Him in the
best possible way.
THE BEACON | 5