Hi Sophie,
Thank you for your great question!
Vision changes post stroke can be challenging and can affect all areas of life.
You may have read in our Vision loss after stroke fact sheet that some recovery of vision is possible, usually in the first few months after a stroke. Not a lot is written about neuroplasticity or treatment options.
Our clinical guidelines for stroke management considers all the available research following a stroke and provides a guideline for treatment options. Currently the guidelines for vision is minimal, as there is little research evidence available.
Whilst there is not a lot of research for neuroplasticity to improve vision post stroke, there is some promising evidence.
Schneider et al. 2019 used some complex testing to find what is going on in the occipital lobe, which is also described in this Medical News Today article. They talk about why recovery may be so difficult, in that the cells in the eye that receive signals from the retina connect to other cells in the brain, and if the brain cells are inactive then the retinal cells shut down and atrophy, which makes it very difficult to recover sight. However, sometimes those brain cells are still active but it’s the higher-order processing that’s been disrupted, in which case it should be possible for neuroplasticity to improve vision.
Barbot et al. 2021 states that homonymous visual field loss was “long considered intractable”, but they describe a form of visual training that they believe perhaps uses intact pathways or may induce neuroplasticity in the visual cortex.
If more evidence builds up, this information will be assessed for our guidelines to be translated into practice.
It would still be worth being assessed for vision changes post stroke.
A GP can be helpful in referring for further investigations and assessment with a specialist such as a neuro ophthalmologist.
Vision Australia is also a good resource. They can help with strategies, support and aids to compensate for any vision changes.
Vision Australia
Ph: 1300 84 74 66
Website: https://www.visionaustralia.org/
In summary, we currently don't have evidence based exercises or training for neuroplasticity to improve vision, but the occipital lobe may not be impervious to neuroplasticity. More research is needed in this area before we can provide further guidelines to improve vision through neuroplasticity post stroke.
Feel free to call us on 1800 787 653 or email strokeline@strokefoundation.org.au for more information. We are available Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm AEST.
Kind regards,
Kath, StrokeLine