This Condition Occurs As a Result of Trauma to the Optic Tract (The Part of the Optic

Hemianopsia

This condition occurs as a result of trauma to the optic tract (the part of the optic nerve that filters visual signals into the brain) due to tumor, stroke or traumatic brain injury. As a result the patient will suffer vision losses to certain sides and fields of vision.

The vision loss can occur totally in which case all vision is lost on aparticular side, or it can occur relatively where only partial vision loss on a side/field is present.

One common form of Hemianopsia is a form of relative visual loss to either the right or left visual fields in both of the eyes (depending on which side of the brain is affected). This type is known as Homonymous Hemianopsia (HH). Due to HHI being stroke related, it can also come with a serious condition known as “Neglect.” In Neglect the patient can totally forget that one of the sides is present (putting on the left shoe but not the right).

Causes (Not Helped)

>Strokes

>Tumors

>Other trauma to the brain

Causes (Preventable)

Causes occur due to non preventable factors such as tumor or stroke.

Symptoms

>Person has had a stroke

>Forgetting about one side of the body (right shoe on but not the left)

>Tilting of the head at odd angles in order to read.

> Not being able to see at a distance

>complaining about loss of vision in specific areas.

>Bumping into objects

Treatment

>There is not much medical technology on the issues caused by stroke, Tumor, or TBI. It is usually dealt with by visual and orientation training (listed below).

Educational and Life

>Difficulty scanning and tracking while reading. Reading left to right is very difficulty if the right side of vision is affected, because they are reading into their blind spot.

>Drastically reduced reading speed which makes doing work much longer (locating information, copying information .. ect)

>Bumping into objects from not noticing them.

>Not being able to see class related materials (overheads, blackboards, handouts)

>Possible Inability to drive

Feeling of isolation from people due to above difficulities.

Things That Can Help

Extensive reading training for tracking and scanning.

>Post it notes, for marking margins on a page.

>Magnification devices for close up reading.

>Giving the Student Copies of any distance material.

>Materials with good lighting and contrast

>The use of highlighters, rulers, and other materials can help make objects stand out more.

>Extensive Orientation and Mobility training in using their good fields.

>Prisms and other lenses (Gottlieb Visual Field Awareness System, Peli Lens) can help move objects into the good visual fields.

References

Hemianopsia.(2010). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved June 28, 2010, from

Hemianopsia.net. (2010).

Hemianopsia (Hemianopia). Retrieved June 28, 2010, from

Optometrists Network (2010). Loss of Visual Field Due to Brain Injury Hemianopsis and Neglect.Retrieved June 28, 2010, from

Region 4 Educational ServiceCenter. (2004). Programs in Low Vision Therapy. Houston, Tx: Region 4 Educational ServiceCenter.

The Low Vision Centers of Indiana. (2010). Visual Field Impairment/Hemianopsia. RetrievedJune 28, 2010, from