"Hopeless" Case

A few days ago, a patient who suffered a stroke came in.  Even though the patient was capable of 20/20 sight in each eye, he almost functioned like a blind person.  This was because he lost the right side of his vision in each eye as a result of the stroke.  He actually used a cane to help guide him in his walking.

The patient's eyes were healthy.  He was told there was nothing further that could be done for him.  The patient was similar to others whom I've seen who have a visual field defect.  I prescribed prisms which help shift the image up, down, left or right, depending how they're placed in the glasses.  This appeared to have a dramatic effect on the patient.  His walking was a lot better.  His confidence exuded.  He was also way less sensitive to light.

I love these type of cases.  The change seen in these patients is priceless.