Vision at the European Stroke Conference 2012

There are a couple of visual rehabilitation related sessions at the European Stroke Conference this year (see below).

Visit the conference web site by clicking here.  For more information, click here to see the programme e-book.

Thursday 24 May 2012
8:30 - 10:00 Oral Session. Rehabilitation and reorganisation after stroke A Auditorium III/IV
8:40 - 8:50
Recovery from Post-Stroke Visual Impairment: Evidence from the Virtual International Stroke Trials Archive (VISTA)
9:10 - 9:20
Microscopic damage to the left hemisphere contributes in determining neglect in patients with right hemispheric stroke.


Friday 25 May 2012
8:30 - 10:00 Academic Symposium 5 Auditorium VIII
Joint Symposium WFRN and ESC.  Does functional imaging help to plan stroke rehabilitation?
Early changes are relevant for recovery
R. Seitz, Germany
White matter tract changes and recovery
H. Chabriat, France
Brain organisation and reorganisation to understand neglect and extinction
C. Weiller, Germany
Alternative approaches to aphasia
G. Schlaug, USA

Train reading and exploration (visual search) separately

A recent paper published in the journal Brain, looking at rehabilitation of eye movements in hemianopia, has confirmed what already seemed to be the case from previous studies, that training reading helps reading but not visual exploration (visual search), while training visual exploration helps visual exploration but not reading.  The main thing about this study is that it was a "cross-over" study, that is it tried both types of rehabilitation in all the participants, but in a different order, to show that it wasn't just different people responding to different methods differently.

Click here for the article abstract.  The full article is only available to subscribers, I'm afraid.

The good news is that reputable examples of both types of rehabilitation are readily available, supported by evidence from small research studies, and FREE.  Reading training, developed by University College London,UK, is available on the ReadRight web site.  A visual search rehabilitation DVD is available from the University of Oxford, UK.  Contact Ms Toria Summers (PA to Professor Chris Kennard) - drop me a line if you have any problems getting hold of a copy.