You are invited to this week’s special talk organized by the Department of Psychology.
Everyone is welcome to attend!
Cerebral Visual Impairment: From Visual Function to Functional Vision
Speaker: Lotfi B. Merabet, OD PhD MPH
Affiliations:
- Jakobiec Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology
- Professor of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School.
- Director, The Laboratory for Visual Neuroplasticity, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, and Schepens Eye Research Institute.
- Associate Chief of Basic and Translational Research
- Co-director of the Center of Excellence for Mobility Enhancement and Vision Rehabilitation.
- Staff Optometrist, Vision Rehabilitation Service at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.
Date: 08.05.2026, Friday
Time: 12:30 PM
Room: A 130
Abstract:
Cerebral (or cortical) visual impairment (CVI) is a brain-based visual disorder and the leading cause of pediatric visual impairment in developed countries. In the setting of early-onset neurological injury, higher-order visual processing deficits represent a core feature of CVI, particularly in cases where visual functions (such as visual acuity) are within normal levels. We have developed a series of novel assessment tools using eye-tracking combined with virtual reality and psychophysical tasks to characterize functional visual abilities in CVI – beyond what is typically carried out as part of a standard ophthalmic examination. These novel approaches allow for the assessment of higher-order visual perceptual abilities in CVI with a high degree of behavioral relevance, ecological validity, and participant engagement. These assessments can also be paired with various neuroimaging modalities in order to investigate the neurophysiological basis of visual processing dysfunctions in CVI. The clinical and educational implications of functional visual abilities and challenges in CVI will also be discussed.
Bio: Lotfi Merabet is a clinician-scientist investigating how the brain adapts to ocular as well as brain-based visual impairment and blindness. He completed his doctorate in neuroscience (University of Montréal) and clinical doctorate in optometry (New England College of Optometry). He continued his post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School, Boston University, and the MGH Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging. This was followed by a master’s degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. In 2010, he joined the clinical and research faculty of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear. He also serves on the Education Board of Directors and CVI Steering Committees of the Perkins School for the Blind, the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group (Neuro-ophthalmology Workgroup), and co-chairs the NIH Expert Panel on CVI. His work is currently supported by the NIH/National Eye Institute.
We hope to see you there!