Unilateral neglect: a disorder of attention

Unilateral neglect is a complex disorder that occurs most frequently in patients with right hemisphere damage. Although it is most severe in the acute phase, it may be detectable in some patients many months and even years after onset. Its presence is usually obvious in functional activities, including reading and writing, and it has consistently been identified as a negative predictor for recovery of independence in daily living. The purposes of this article are to review common neglect symptoms, summarize current theories of neglect, outline appropriate assessment tasks, and describe several treatment approaches for left unilateral visual neglect.