Project team members:

• Prof. Tina Runjić, PhD
• Assoc. Prof. Ante Bilić Prcić, PhD
• Assis. Prof. Ana Katušić, PhD
• Dominik Sikirić, PhD
• Andrea Paulik, assistant
• Matea Kasun Luburić, assistant

Associates:

• Vedran Jurdana, PhD

Currently, there is a growing problem of myopia and issues with visual functioning, particularly cerebral visual impairment, in various everyday and school situations. In developed countries, more than 3% of students experience problems with visual functioning (Williams et al. 2021). Milder visual impairments and specific visual functioning difficulties often go unrecognised, affecting development, learning, social inclusion, and independence. It is therefore important to identify these issues promptly to ensure appropriate adaptation of materials and environments, as well as timely visual rehabilitation. In this project, by analysing the characteristics of visual functioning in school-age children, we aim to contribute to the further development of scientifically based methods for planning and organising screening and adaptation in the educational process and other aspects of life. The results of our research on visual functioning will provide data on the frequency of specific problems related to individual visual functions and the visual functioning of school-age students by type of cerebral visual impairment. We will also help raise awareness and define the relationship between visual functioning problems and academic success, as well as other areas such as socialisation, social inclusion, leisure activities, and the level of support required in different activities. Furthermore, these data will form a basis for new research in the field of visual functioning in children, particularly in the area of functional vision (use of vision in different situations according to the guidelines of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, ICF 2010), by establishing developmental norms for individual visual functions.