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Visual Rehabilitation

A stroke, concussion or traumatic brain injury can affect much more than how clearly you see. It can change the way the eyes move, work together and respond to the visual world around you.

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Visual Rehabilitation aims to identify these changes and improve how effectively vision is used during everyday activities.

How Can a Neurological Injury Affect Vision?

Changes to vision following a stroke or brain injury can vary considerably from person to person.

 

You may experience:

  • double vision;

  • difficulty moving or coordinating the eyes;

  • losing your place when reading;

  • difficulty scanning across a page or around your environment;

  • loss of part of your visual field;

  • difficulty noticing objects or people on one side;

  • problems judging depth or distance;

  • visual fatigue or difficulty sustaining visual attention;

  • increased sensitivity to visually busy environments;

  • difficulty coordinating vision with movement.

 

Some people are immediately aware that their vision has changed, while others may find it difficult to recognise or describe what feels different.

Conditions We Commonly Assess

Visual Rehabilitation may be appropriate for people experiencing visual difficulties following:

  • stroke;

  • traumatic brain injury (TBI);

  • concussion;

  • other neurological injury or disease.

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Visual problems we may assess and manage include:

  • Visual Field Loss – such as hemianopia or quadrantanopia;

  • Diplopia – double vision caused by difficulties with eye alignment or coordination;

  • Eye Movement Disorders – difficulty accurately following, locating or shifting between visual targets;

  • Visual Neglect – reduced awareness of information on one side of the environment;

  • Binocular Vision Difficulties – problems coordinating both eyes together;

  • Visual-Motor Difficulties – difficulty coordinating visual information with movement;

  • Functional Vision Difficulties associated with neurological visual impairment.

What Can Visual Rehabilitation Involve?

Treatment is individualised according to your assessment findings, symptoms and rehabilitation goals.

 

Depending on your needs, management may include:

  • targeted eye movement and visual scanning activities;

  • strategies to improve awareness of visual field loss;

  • binocular vision and eye coordination therapy;

  • exercises to improve visual tracking and scanning;

  • prism assessment where appropriate;

  • strategies to support reading and everyday visual tasks;

  • visual-motor and hand-eye coordination activities;

  • home-based rehabilitation activities;

  • collaboration with other members of your rehabilitation team.

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Visual Rehabilitation may be completed through a combination of clinic-based therapy and individually prescribed home activities.

Working With Your Rehabilitation Team

Visual difficulties following neurological injury rarely occur in isolation.

 

Where appropriate, we can work alongside your treating professionals, including your GP, neurologist, rehabilitation physician, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, speech pathologist, optometrist and other members of your rehabilitation team.

 

Patients may be referred by a medical or allied health professional, rehabilitation provider or insurer, or may contact Eyetreat directly to discuss whether an assessment is appropriate.

Funding & Payment Options

We offer a range of payment options for eligible services:

  • Private Health Insurance – Eyetreat is a registered provider with major private health funds for Orthoptics / Eye Therapy and prescription glasses. Rebates vary depending on your level of cover.

  • Lifetime Care & Workers Care - Eyetreat is a registered provider for Lifetime Care and Workers Care claims. Service approval is required prior to appointments. 

  • National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) – Eyetreat is a registered NDIS provider and can provide eligible services for self-managed, plan-managed and agency-managed participants.

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