Strokes and Vision Therapy
75% of head trauma survivors need rehabilitation.
90% of them need visual care.
Most nerve fibers from the right eye cross to the left side of the brain and vice versa. A CVA/Stroke on the left side of the brain may result in a loss of the right field of vision in both eyes – if the CVA/Stroke is on the right side of the brain, the left field of vision may be affected. If the brain cells receiving high resolution data from the macula/fovea cells of the retina are intact, 20/20 or close acuity will still be present. If these Brain Cells are affected by the CVA/Stroke, Visual Acuity may be markedly reduced.
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A CVA/Stroke in higher brain centers may affect Visual Information Processing and Visual Perception. Visual interpretation and judgments of visual stimuli take place in higher level cognitive (thinking) brain regions – a CVA/Stroke may disrupt the inter-connections of brain neurological circuitry. Thought processes and logical reasoning may change from pre-CVA/Stroke abilities.
Lenses, special prisms and Optometric Vision Therapy/Orthoptics are often combined to restore Visual Motor Guidance abilities, Ocular Motility (eye tracking), Accommodation (eye focusing), Vergence (eye alignment) and Visual Information Processing/Visual Perception skills. Special Prisms, called Yoked Prisms, may be prescribed to correct Visual Midline Shift (a shifting of the awareness of the midline of the body) and other mal-adaptations of head and body posture. Yoked Prism and other highly specialized lens and prism systems may allow better abilities in daily living activities with the loss of peripheral visual field.
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Our vision services are coordinated with other professionals involved in CVA/Stroke rehabilitation.