How Stroke Affects Vision
The optic nerve can be affected from multiple stroke related causes – damage to the lobe where vision originates, damage to the optic nerve itself and, most commonly, the brain refuses to see appropriately through the affected side.
Some of the issues could be visual cuts where the field of vision is missing parts of the picture, visual neglect where the brain won’t let the eye see through the affected side, changes in depth perception or double vision where the eyes don’t work together in focusing and loss of vision, often in the affected side of BOTH eyes or peripherally.
How to Address Vision Deficits
Surgery is sometimes an option for damaged optic nerves. Vision therapy is an option for all patients. Prism glasses refract in a way to force the brain to connect with the eye and see things properly. They are a relief for those that have focus issues as the continual eye strain causes headaches and eye fatigue. Opthamologists and optometrists can prescribe these glasses and it’s possible you may need revisions in your prescription as your brain heals and eyes learn to work properly.
Vision exercises may seem simplistic but don’t discount their value. They yield great results in a short period of time if done diligently, usually less than 30 minutes a day. A common occurrence is for the brain to settle and neurons to grow resulting in your vision issues changing. Sometimes it feels like walking backwards as your brain and eyes learn to connect and communicate with each other making things seemingly worse before getting better. Keep with it and you’ll notice an eventual progression towards better.
Prognosis
It’s an unfortunate truth that a majority of stroke survivors have vision issues to varying degrees and may never fully regain their pre-stroke vision. Given time, the brain heals and things start to come together. Therapy can vastly improve remaining visual deficits and give you tools to help cope with the vision you have. It’s recommended to wait six months post stroke before starting vision therapy just to have an accurate baseline once the brain has been given time to readjust naturally. Even if you have vision deficits that therapy doesn’t fix, your brain is an amazing organ and will find ways for you to compensate.
Something To Keep In Mind
Sometimes the optical nerve causes the eye to jump from side to side or up and down. It might cause the affected eye to slide up or down or off to the side independent of the unaffected eye. Because these visual disturbances often affect school age children (think lazy eye), it’s not surprising that many developmental vision and pediatric optometrists offer effective vision therapy that is just as beneficial for stroke patients. While it may feel out of place to work on your vision in a pediatric themed office, just accept that the therapy is what you’re there for and go with it. You’ll be glad you did!