May is National Stroke Awareness Month and there are several organizations committed to stroke education and awareness. Being educated about stroke signs and symptoms, the importance of controlling high blood pressure to reduce the risk of stroke and why reacting quickly to a stroke are highlights in the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Campaign, #BrainForLife. Here at Vision For Life, we can help individuals who suffer from brain injuries or a stroke when they are experiencing deficits in their motor, sensory (vision) and cognitive skills.
The type of visual field loss can vary depending on what part of the pathway was damaged from the stroke (when the path from the eye to the brain is damaged). Normal visual field is the full area of what a person can visually see surrounding them and individuals suffering from a stroke can have their visual field affected. Processing problems can occur causing a temporary loss of the functional visual field after a stroke. Common symptoms can be vision blurriness or even a complete loss, like a blind spot, in one’s vision. There are also cases when an individual is not even aware that he or she is experiencing visual field loss after a stroke occurs.
Recovery can pose some challenges, depending on the affects from the stroke. However; there are multiple cues of visual field loss that can help Vision For Life determine what therapy will be the most beneficial. If you or a loved one is demonstrating any of the following symptoms after being diagnosed with a stroke, contact us.
- Visual neglect, a disorder that prevents an individual from attending to stimuli on one side of vision (left or right)
- Blurred vision while watching TV
- Walking into/bumping into objects
- Trouble scanning a page when reading
At Vision For Life, we use different types of therapy to help a stroke victim to recover their visual field loss. We are able to retrain the eye-brain connection with our custom therapy program. By the use of Syntonics light therapy, we can stimulate the blind spots or blurriness affecting a patient’s visual field. When neurons in the brain are affected from a stroke, our light therapy can help “spark” the neurons again, helping the patient gain back some visual field.
By contacting us for an evaluation, we can examine a stroke victim’s vision for possible signs of trauma and also administer a vision field test to identify blind spots in the patient’s peripheral vision. We can properly evaluate and diagnose vision loss in patients, no matter their age. After a thorough diagnosis, we can select the best treatment option for you or your loved one. Vision therapy can be helpful in regaining 30% – 80% of a stroke victim’s vision loss. Timing is also important because the quicker therapy begins post stroke the better are the chances for more visual recovery.
Repercussions from a stroke should never be treated lightly. Vision For Life will work with anyone suffering from field loss problems, assisting them in improving their ability to work, read, write and enjoy life. Our specialized visual rehabilitation will help you regain your vision and feel good again! After a stroke, it’s important to seek medical treatment as well as schedule an appointment with Vision For Life for a complete functional vision evaluation. Contact us at 618-288-1489 for a complete visual consultation. You can also learn more about Vision For Life by visiting our website at https://visionforlifeworks.com/.