Article

OBJECTIVES: More than 50% of human cerebral activity is related to vision. Visual
impairments are therefore common after acquired brain injury, although they are
often overlooked. In order to evaluate the prevalence of visual deficits in our
Out-patient Brain Injury Program, a structured screening questionnaire, the
Visual Interview, was administered. METHODS:
A total of 170 patients with
acquired brain injury, mean age 47 years, who were enrolled in the programme
during 2010-12, underwent the Visual Interview.
The interview consists of 18
questions concerning visual impairment and was performed on admission. The
different types of visual impairment were compared with regard to sex and
diagnosis. RESULTS: Fifty-four percent of the patients reported visual changes,
mainly reading difficulties, photosensitivity, blurred vision and disorders of
the visual field. Sixteen patients who did not experience visual changes also
reported visual symptoms in 4-9 questions. Only slight differences were noted in
the occurrence of visual symptoms when correlated with sex or diagnosis.
CONCLUSION: Visual impairments are common after acquired brain injury, but some
patients do not define their problems as vision-related.
A structured
questionnaire, covering the most common visual symptoms, is helpful for the
rehabilitation team to facilitate assessment of visual changes.

Langue : ANGLAIS