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Can vision improve after an occipital stroke, and are there effective

Posted by fatiflhn @fatiflhn, Jul 1 4:48am

Hello everyone,

My father is 58 years old and had an ischemic stroke that affected his visual cortex (occipital lobe). His doctors told us that his visual problems are caused by brain damage rather than an eye problem.

He has hypertension and borderline diabetes. He used to smoke hookah in the past but has stopped.

After the stroke, he also had some difficulty with navigation and remembering directions, although some of this has improved over time.

We recently had a follow-up MRI, and I can share the report or images if needed.

My main questions are:

- Is there any treatment or rehabilitation that can help with vision loss caused by damage to the visual cortex?
- Can improvement still happen months or years after the stroke?
- Are there any specific therapies, exercises, or specialists that you would recommend?
- Has anyone experienced meaningful recovery in similar cases?

Any advice or professional opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

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Scott R L | @scottrl | Jul 1 2:31pm

Sorry to hear about your father. How long ago was his stroke?

I can't speak specifically to vision issues, but I had an ischemic stroke on Christmas Eve, 2018. It left me permanently disabled (right-side motor skills). I was 60 at the time.

I'm a member of a local stroke support group (which I highly recommend). Based on what I've seen in others, recovery continues as long as you keep working at it. (I'm still getting better, 7-plus years later.)

At the start, I had some vision cuts, week-long migraines, and other weird episodes, but they faded with time.

I can do a lot -- drive, cook, go shopping alone, do laundry, etc. I may not do them well, but it's better than nothing. (If only I could type two-handed!)

You may enjoy my YouTube channel about my journey, "From Recovery to Discovery":
https://www.youtube.com/@srlucado/videos
Good luck to your father! Remember, patience and persistence are key.

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fatiflhn | @fatiflhn | Jul 2 1:15pm
In reply to @scottrl "Sorry to hear about your father. How long ago was his stroke? I can't speak specifically..." + (show)
Profile picture for Scott R L @scottrl

Sorry to hear about your father. How long ago was his stroke?

I can't speak specifically to vision issues, but I had an ischemic stroke on Christmas Eve, 2018. It left me permanently disabled (right-side motor skills). I was 60 at the time.

I'm a member of a local stroke support group (which I highly recommend). Based on what I've seen in others, recovery continues as long as you keep working at it. (I'm still getting better, 7-plus years later.)

At the start, I had some vision cuts, week-long migraines, and other weird episodes, but they faded with time.

I can do a lot -- drive, cook, go shopping alone, do laundry, etc. I may not do them well, but it's better than nothing. (If only I could type two-handed!)

You may enjoy my YouTube channel about my journey, "From Recovery to Discovery":
https://www.youtube.com/@srlucado/videos
Good luck to your father! Remember, patience and persistence are key.

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@scottrl Hi! Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing your story. It’s really encouraging to hear about your progress, especially 7 years later—it gives us a lot of hope.

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Scott R L | @scottrl | Jul 2 1:58pm
In reply to @fatiflhn "@scottrl Hi! Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing your story. It’s..." + (show)
Profile picture for fatiflhn @fatiflhn

@scottrl Hi! Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing your story. It’s really encouraging to hear about your progress, especially 7 years later—it gives us a lot of hope.

Jump to this post

@fatiflhn Thanks. The time since my stroke hasn't exactly been a lot of fun, but I try to make the best of it.

One thing I learned: be careful what you wish for. I wanted to retire early...

I am blessed with a loving wife who has endless patience. My primary motivation in life is to work my hardest to minimize the demands on her. Every time I can do something, whether it's making dinner for us both, cleaning my bathroom, or just going through the drive-thru, it helps me feel useful.

Interestingly, along the way I discovered I have a talent for writing Dad Jokes. A local TV station has a "Dad Joke Friday" feature, and in the past year or so, they've broadcast nearly a dozen of mine.
If you're a glutton for "pun-ishment", here's a YouTube playlist of them all (so far), including ones that didn't get aired. Don't say you weren't warned:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist

Stay strong!

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