The treatment methods for post-stroke visual impairment: A systematic review.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Ophthalmology
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Stroke is a leading cause of acquired visual impairment in adults.
• Visual deficits following stroke significantly impact patient quality of life and functional independence.
• Existing literature on interventions for post-stroke visual impairments is fragmented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and overview interventions for visual impairments resulting from stroke.
• To identify gaps in the evidence base for current treatment strategies.
• To guide future research directions in stroke vision rehabilitation.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review including diverse study designs (RCTs, cohort, observational, etc.) across all languages.
• Comprehensive search of multiple databases and trial registers.
• Independent article selection, data extraction, and quality/bias assessment by two authors.

Main Results:

• Included 49 articles encompassing 4142 subjects, featuring an overview of four Cochrane systematic reviews.
• Evaluated interventions for various visual deficits: visual field loss, ocular motility issues, reduced central vision, and visual perceptual deficits.
• Identified a need for more robust evidence for many interventions.

Conclusions:

• High-quality randomized controlled trials are crucial for determining the effectiveness of interventions for post-stroke visual impairments.
• Interventions currently used in practice without a strong evidence base must be rigorously evaluated in future studies.
• Further research is imperative to improve visual outcomes and rehabilitation strategies for stroke survivors.