Amplify EyeCare of Greater Long Beach in Bellflower is committed to educating people about eye care and its correlation to overall health. In this blog, we will discuss the causes, symptoms, and risk factors of strokes, along with the role of our optometrist in stroke rehabilitation.
The Role of an Optometrist in Stroke Rehabilitation
Optometrists or eye doctors play a vital role in the rehabilitation of stroke patients. A stroke can cause a range of vision problems such as loss of peripheral vision, double vision, and difficulty with eye movements. These visual impairments can have a significant impact on the quality of life of the patient and hinder their ability to perform daily activities.
Our optometrist’s role in stroke rehabilitation is to evaluate and manage strategies for those who have suffered a stroke. We work with a team of rehabilitation professionals, including physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists, to provide comprehensive care to the patient. They work together to develop a customized rehabilitation plan that addresses the patient's visual needs.
We evaluate the patient's visual acuity, eye movements, and visual fields to determine the extent of visual deficits. Based on the evaluation, they prescribe visual aids such as glasses or contact lenses and recommend exercises to improve visual function. These exercises may include eye tracking, convergence exercises, and visual scanning.
Moreover, we also address the patient's ability to perform daily activities such as reading, driving, and cooking. We provide training and rehabilitation exercises to help patients with these activities. This includes teaching the patient how to use compensatory techniques to adapt to their visual deficits.
How Can a Stroke Affect Your Vision?
A stroke can affect vision in a number of ways, depending on the location and severity of the damage in the brain. Some of the most common visual problems that occur after a stroke include:
- Visual field loss - A stroke can cause partial or complete loss of vision in one or both eyes. This is known as a visual field defect, and can affect the central or peripheral areas of vision.
- Double vision - Stroke can cause the muscles that control eye movement to become weak or paralyzed, leading to double vision (also called diplopia).
- Reduced visual acuity - A stroke can cause a reduction in sharpness and clarity of vision. This may be temporary or permanent.
- Visual hallucinations - Some stroke survivors may experience visual hallucinations, seeing things that aren't really there.
- Difficulty with eye movements - Strokes can affect the ability to move the eyes in a coordinated manner, making it difficult to track moving objects or read.
- Sensitivity to light - Some people may become more sensitive to light after a stroke, which can cause discomfort and difficulty seeing in bright environments.
- Visual perceptual problems - Strokes can also cause problems with visual perception, making it difficult to recognize faces or objects, judge distances, or perceive movement.
What is a Stroke?
Cerebrovascular accidents or strokes are a cardiovascular disease that affects the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain. When these blood vessels burst or become clogged, the brain does not receive the necessary oxygen and nutrients. This can result in damage to the brain cells or even death.
Symptoms of a Stroke
It is important to recognize the symptoms of strokes to receive timely medical attention. Some common symptoms of strokes include:
- Speech difficulty
- Numbness or tingling sensation on one side of the face or body
- Difficulty with memory
- Feeling out of balance or having an imbalance
- Severe headaches
- Eye disturbances such as loss of peripheral vision
Risk Factors of a Stroke
Certain risk factors increase the chances of experiencing a stroke. These include:
- Smoking
- High blood pressure
- Obesity
- Elevated cholesterol levels
- Diabetes
- Excessive alcohol consumption
Strokes appear to be more common in females and also within certain ethnic groups such as blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians.
What to Do if You Experience Symptoms of a Stroke
If you experience any symptoms of a stroke, it is important to seek medical attention immediately. Call 911 or go to the emergency room to be seen by a physician for evaluation and treatment. Following a stroke it is important to see an optometrist that has experience with vision problems that arise from strokes, also known as neuro optometrists. If you live near Bellflower in the communities of Paramount, Norwalk, Cerritos, Lakewood, Downey, Signal Hill, Cypress, or Los Alamitos we welcome you to schedule an appointment with our neuro optometrists. If you live further away you can search on google for “neuro optometrist near me” or “eye doctor for stroke near me”.
