A stroke occurs when the brain does not receive enough nourishing blood. Strokes require immediate treatment to limit the amount of damage to the brain and increase chances for survival. However, even with prompt treatment, strokes may cause damage to the body, including eye problems. Knowing the stroke-related eye problems may help loved ones understand some of the difficulties a stroke victim faces.
Tracking
If a stroke affects the brainstem, the muscles responsible for eye movement will also be affected, resulting in difficulties with eye movement. Following, or tracking back and forth movement, such as a basketball game, may pose problems, and reading may seem difficult as well, says the Ohio State University Medical Center. After a stroke that affects the brainstem, some people may find help with an occupational therapist, who will work with the person on performing daily activities, and also work with the person to improve tracking objects and strengthen eye movement and control.
Double Vision
Some strokes will cause double vision, also known as diplopia. This condition results from the inability of the eye's surrounding muscles to keep the eyes evenly aligned, notes the Ohio State University Medical Center. Double vision will cause extreme difficulties in performing simple tasks, such as walking or reading, since the person with double vision will see two of every object. Eye exercises provided by an occupational therapist may help improve double vision after a stroke, but some people require special glasses prescribed by an eye doctor. The glasses contain a prism that works to bring the images together.
Field Loss
A stroke may also cause sectional vision loss, typically the complete left or right side of vision. Other types of vision loss may include a quarter section of vision loss or a central section of loss, "an island-like area of blindness," says the National Stroke Association. To determine how much of the vision the stroke affected, the doctor will perform a visual field test. The patient sits with her chin on a chinrest, and when she sees lights, she will click a button. Even though vision loss from a stroke does not typically improve, knowing where vision loss occurred will help your physician follow any future changes.
Visual Neglect
After a stroke, some people may have visual neglect, a condition where the brain cannot understand or identify what it sees, usually causing neglect of objects solely on either the right or left side. This condition occurs mostly in a stroke that affects the left side of the body, says the Ohio State University Medical Center. The person affected will often not look to the neglected side, ignoring people or objects. An occupational therapist may work with the stroke victim to increase the stimulus on the neglected side, gradually drawing visual attention to objects in the neglected areas.
