Help with Neuro Vision Impairment
Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) is damage caused to the brain by a variety of causes; hypoxia, infection, tumour, substance abuse, degenerative neurological diseases, strokes or head trauma. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) implies trauma to the head and brain caused by an external force. ABI can cause physical, cognitive, psychosocial and sensory impairments, which may lead to restrictions in various areas of a person’s life and lifestyle.
Stroke is the major cause of acquired brain injury in older people worldwide with the projections increasing at an alarming rate.
- Every year over 100,000 people in the UK have first strokes.
- Approx another 150,000 are hospitalised with other
Acquired and Traumatic Brain Injury.
- About 10,000 are under the age of 55 years.
- Stroke is the largest single cause of severe disability.
Following a CVA or ABI a person will receive the following therapy programs:
- Physiotherapy - loss of body functions or reduced movement.
- Occupational Therapy - upper body strength and activities of daily living.
- Speech Therapy - swallowing, word pronunciation, comprehension etc
- Why is a Vision Therapy program not part of the therapy provided by an interdisciplinary team?
Neurological Vision Impairment can seriously impede best outcomes for a client undergoing a rehabilitation program following an ABI. Visual field disorders can impair mobility, independence and vocational rehabilitation. Spatial perceptual deficits can delay progress in physiotherapy, dressing, transfers and manoeuvring a wheelchair.
Vision Therapy can compliment the whole rehabilitation process: it enhances the patient’s best outcome and can decrease the length of the hospital stay. This is a niche group of patients with severe rehabilitation needs that are not being met through current national health services.
The NVT Scanning Device (NVTSD) is an assessment tool for determining the presence of Homonymous Hemianopia, visual field deficits and visuo-spatial neglect. NVTSD has a software programme of compensatory scanning exercises that will enhance the client’s functional use of residual vision, by improving scanning into the deficit field, providing exercises to promote visual memory, spatial reasoning and improving saccadic and pursuit movements.
With support from NHS Fife and the MCN on Stroke, Fife is the first authority outside of Australia to train staff in the use of the NVT Scanning Device for the assessment and rehabilitation of patients with a neurological vision impairment. Three staff from Fife Society for the Blind’s Insight Team have been trained and referrals are being received via phone or referral forms.
Useful Link for more information on NVT
NVT Leaflet
Questions and Answers