Practical clinical treatment strategies for evaluation and treatment of visual field loss and visual inattention

Abstract

In business leadership, vision has been described as follows: “vision animates, inspires, and transforms purpose into action” Although this quote describes vision as it applies to setting a course of action in leadership, it could also describe the visual process addressed by neuro-optometric rehabilitation for people with stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI) who have visual field loss and inattention. People who have suffered a visual field loss and/or visual inattention after stroke or brain injury have difficulty transforming visually-mediated purpose into action secondary to their inability to access a complete visual picture. The goal of neuro-optometric rehabilitation during recovery, therefore, is to help people more effectively use their vision as a source of inspiration: to help people increase awareness, improve mobility, and take efficient action for greater independence. Remedial and compensatory interventions are crucial to achieving these goals, and can be easily implemented by clinicians. The primary purpose of this paper is to explore remedial and compensatory interventions for visual field loss and visual inattention. Interventions will be discussed in the context of an interdisciplinary neuro-rehabilitation team that consults with a neurooptometrist or other visual doctor with experience in TBI and stroke rehabilitation. The secondary purpose is to promote improved interdisciplinary collaboration in the treatment of visual impairments, and to give practical, easy to implement options for clinicians to use