Abstract
Background: The majority of patients with visual disorders after Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) report non-specific visual complaints (NSVCs) like “blurred” or “foggy” vision, reduced contrast sensitivity, impaired adaptation to changes in light, an altered preferred illumination level, or a sensation of being blinded under normal lighting conditions [1].
Recently, De Haan et al. investigated fifty adults with hemianopia due to postchiasmatic ABI [2]. They showed that the majority reported one or more NSVCs.
Methods: In the first part of this study a group of patients with hemianopia (n=22) with the above-mentioned NSVCs were subjected to a specific test battery including the Cerebral Visual Disorders Questionnaire (CVDQ) [3], visual function assessment, assessment of disability and discomfort glare, assessment of optimal lighting conditions, photopic and scotopic adaptation and flicker fusion threshold.
Results: Lower level visual functions showed no abnormalities except for the known visual field defect. Light and/or dark adaptation, flicker fusion threshold and preferred lighting conditions were altered in three patients compared to the total group of patients. Lower visual functions did not correlate with CVDQ-score.
Discussion: Within a group of patients with postchiasmatic ABI we could not find obvious abnormalities in lower level visual functions that may explain NSVCs. Further comparison to ABI patients without NSVCs and a healthy control group might provide more insight. Also, our results might imply that NSVCs are not exclusively explained by lower level visual functions, but also by higher order visual functions.
References:
[1] Zihl J. Rehabilitation of visual disorders after brain injury, Hove: Psychology Press 2011.
[2] De Haan et al. Difficulties in daily life reported by patients with homonymous visual field defects. Journal of neuro-Ophthalmology. 2015. In press.
[3] Kerkhoff et al. Die Anamnese zerebral bedingter Sehstörungen. Nervenarzt 1990; 61: 711–8.
Recently, De Haan et al. investigated fifty adults with hemianopia due to postchiasmatic ABI [2]. They showed that the majority reported one or more NSVCs.
Methods: In the first part of this study a group of patients with hemianopia (n=22) with the above-mentioned NSVCs were subjected to a specific test battery including the Cerebral Visual Disorders Questionnaire (CVDQ) [3], visual function assessment, assessment of disability and discomfort glare, assessment of optimal lighting conditions, photopic and scotopic adaptation and flicker fusion threshold.
Results: Lower level visual functions showed no abnormalities except for the known visual field defect. Light and/or dark adaptation, flicker fusion threshold and preferred lighting conditions were altered in three patients compared to the total group of patients. Lower visual functions did not correlate with CVDQ-score.
Discussion: Within a group of patients with postchiasmatic ABI we could not find obvious abnormalities in lower level visual functions that may explain NSVCs. Further comparison to ABI patients without NSVCs and a healthy control group might provide more insight. Also, our results might imply that NSVCs are not exclusively explained by lower level visual functions, but also by higher order visual functions.
References:
[1] Zihl J. Rehabilitation of visual disorders after brain injury, Hove: Psychology Press 2011.
[2] De Haan et al. Difficulties in daily life reported by patients with homonymous visual field defects. Journal of neuro-Ophthalmology. 2015. In press.
[3] Kerkhoff et al. Die Anamnese zerebral bedingter Sehstörungen. Nervenarzt 1990; 61: 711–8.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 2015 |
| Event | Conference of the European Society for Low Vision Research and Rehabilitation (ESLRR) - Keble College, Oxford, United Kingdom Duration: 25-Sept-2015 → 27-Sept-2015 |
Conference
| Conference | Conference of the European Society for Low Vision Research and Rehabilitation (ESLRR) |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
| City | Oxford |
| Period | 25/09/2015 → 27/09/2015 |