Great Lakes Vision Rehabilitation at Excel est. 2004

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Stroke and Vision 

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About 65% of stroke survivors have vision problems. Click the link to read more!

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"Following a stroke, the visual system can be affected. After a stroke, patients may experience double vision, eye drift, balance issues, visual field loss/cuts, visual field neglect, and more! These deficits can drastically affect your quality of life and daily activities. Assessing vision's sensorimotor and functional components following a stroke is important!" 

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Strokes most commonly affect elderly patients but can occur at any age. Patients after a stroke may experience many signs or symptoms associated with the acquired brain injury. Common signs and symptoms include double vision, strabismus, visual field cuts, balance difficulties, and gait or walking challenges. Our visual system helps to guide our body through space. The challenges and symptoms may be attributed to a visual deficit following the stroke if the visual system is affected. 

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Strokes can affect activities of living, including working, driving, social events, walking, reading, and many more! It is crucial to determine the changes visually and assess a plan or journey for recovery and rehabilitation. The Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association has a page about Stroke and Vision with more resources. 

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With stroke, there is the possibility of spontaneous recovery (SP); SP is the ability of the brain to recover from the deficits in the absence of formal treatment or rehabilitation. However, the recovery may not always be complete. Motor movements recover faster than visuospatial neglect and orientation deficits. Given the possibility of spontaneous recovery, some patients will wait and be monitored for progression by their healthcare provider. The duration may be lengthy, reported as early as 5 to 6 months, but some patients do not wish to wait for recovery. 

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Great Lakes Vision Rehabilitation's mission is to provide the best therapeutic options to help with vision rehabilitation following a stroke. Our doctors received additional training to assess vision and balance, double vision, strabismus, visual field cuts, and vision and gait abnormalities. Through various types of therapy, I.e., vision therapy, optometric phototherapy, prisms, occlusion, and glasses, we provide the best treatment options to meet your goals or needs in your recovery journey. Our clinic utilizes prisms both compensatory (I.e., to resolve or alleviate double vision by aligning the images) and therapeutic (I.e., to change the visual world's perception to help improve balance and gait through visual guidance. 

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IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW HAS SUFFERED A STROKE AND IS HAVING VISION DIFFICULTIES, CALL EXCEL TODAY TO SCHEDULE WITH ONE OF THE DOCTORS!