The Austin Assessment app for CVI is available from the Apple App Store

In a breakthrough for diagnosing cerebral visual impairment (CVI), Dr Nicola McDowell, a senior lecturer at Massey University, has developed a specialised tool, the Austin Assessment app.

The app is a card-matching game that acts as a screening tool for CVI-related visual issues. Two versions of the app are available with different packages: one for families and personal use, one for professionals.

For her efforts, Dr McDowell has received a CVI Champion Award at an international CVI conference hosted by Perkins School for the Blind, US, where she was described as a transformative leader in the field.

In an RNZ interview, she explained how difficult CVI is to detect with standard eye exams, describing the condition as affecting how the brain processes visual information. Impairment occurs because of an injury or damage to the brain but, because it affects the vision without impacting the eye, it’s difficult to pick up through a basic eye test and often goes undiagnosed, she explained. Premature birth is one of CVI’s main causes and children born before 32 weeks’ gestation have an 86% chance of having visual issues.

Dr McDowell said the condition is often mistaken for learning a disability or a behavioural problem, so early detection can save a great deal of hardship – she said she knows this first-hand as she suffered a brain haemorrhage at age 16 and went undiagnosed for CVI. “My journey was horrendous. I struggled in class, was bullied… scraped through my first year at university and my first degree, attended countless ophthalmologist appointments and, because of all this, I suffered huge mental health issues. I do not want other kids sitting in a classroom struggling for so long."

She said she was inspired to develop the app after working as a specialist teacher for children who were blind or had low vision. One of those she worked with was eight-year-old Austin, who had cerebral palsy, reduced visual acuity and CVI. While playing a maths game that required Austin to match two cards together, Dr McDowell discovered it was a visual problem that was leading to him being unable to complete the task and it was his CVI stopping him from being able to match the pairs.

“That’s when I got the idea of a simple, fun, card-matching game to help identify children with difficulties associated with CVI, which led me to creating the Austin Assessment,” she said in a Massy University release.

After six years, four research projects, 900 children’s assessments and a global pandemic, the Austin Assessment was born, she said.

Supported by Massey Ventures and Massey University Foundation funding, the app has already gained traction with parents reporting greater clarity on their children's learning needs and immediate access to resources for next steps.

The Austin Assessment is available on Apple’s App Store.