ABSTRACT
Introduction: For occipital cortex strokes resulting in vision disorders, questions about the viability of residual visual cortex remain. Clinical Picture: In a patient with a one-year-old, left, complete, homonymous hemianopia due to a right, posterior cerebral artery, ischaemic infarct, we assessed the visual cortex with fMRI retinotopic mapping prior to starting vision restoration therapy. Outcome: The patient was found to have residual neurovascular function and retinotopic representation in the surviving visual cortex around the infarcted area. Conclusion: The ability to respond to stimuli in part of the blind field, though not consciously perceived, suggests the potential for recovery
Homonymous hemianopia is one of the most common forms of acquired visual field defects.1 It is typically produced by head injury, tumours or stroke that damage the occipital cortex, postgeniculate pathways or both.1 This leads to the impairment in basic functions, such as reading, visual search and navigation. Thus, it is important to assess residual function and work towards rehabilitation. Indeed visual field defects may not be permanent and indeed have been shown to undergo recovery spontaneously2 or with rehabilitation.3
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