This project is lead by Dr Kathleen Vancleef and funded by her Stroke Association postdoctoral fellowship, as well as additional funding from a Christ Church College grant to Dr Vancleef.

Many patients suffer from reduced vision after stroke. This prevents them from driving and can make it difficult for them to safely cross the road or participate in social situations. Although it is straightforward for a health professional to diagnose a stroke patient’s reduced visual acuity by reading a letter chart, it’s much more challenging for them to detect visual perception deficits such as recognising objects or faces, or a patient seeing motion.

Existing vision tests do not tell us how a patient’s life will be influenced by their vision problems. This project aims to understand how the results of vision tests relate to a stroke survivor’s functioning in their daily lives.The results of the research could provide patients with more meaningful information about their condition. Information which could help them target certain visual functions through exercises, or help them make the necessary adjustments in their lives to compensate for their impairment.