Visual Field Deficits and Neglect: Impact on Daily Performance

Presented by Dana Aravich, Laura Troxell, and Holly Stants

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Video Runtime: 79 Minutes; Learning Assessment Time: 48 Minutes

Do you feel confident in your abilities to quickly find visual field deficits (VFD) or neglect in your clients with brain injuries? Do you encounter this frequently and want to become more skilled in understanding the nuances of homonymous hemianopsia/hemianopia (HH), especially in clients with a range of complexity levels and comorbidities, or do you just need a few more tools in your belt to add variety to your intervention activities? This course combines low-vision techniques with neurological rehab approaches to deepen your understanding and expand your skill set for treating these exceedingly common impairments.

This intermediate-level course gives practitioners a review of current research, a variety of simple and low-cost evidence-based outcome measures, and quick and easy intervention activities for clients with a variety of complexity levels, focusing on improvement in daily activity. This course is brought to you by occupational therapists with a combined total of more than 50 years of experience working with clients with a variety of vision impairments across the rehab care continuum.

Learning Objectives
  • Analyze observable and measurable behaviors indicative of a visual field deficit in the acute, subacute, and chronic client
  • Analyze observable and measurable behaviors indicative of a unilateral spatial neglect in the acute, subacute, and chronic client
  • Implement evidence-based outcome measures to demonstrate improvements in performance related to visual field deficits and neglect
  • Apply appropriate intervention strategies that target the client’s specific visual and cognitive needs to increase performance with activities of daily living
  • Implement self-management strategies and other low-cost methods that are effective for improving performance in daily activities across a variety of settings

Meet your instructors

Dana Aravich

Dana Aravich is an occupational therapist who primarily works with individuals with neurological and low-vision conditions in both inpatient and outpatient settings. She also has lived experience as an individual with a low-vision condition. Aravich regularly presents on vision-related topics at local, national, and…

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Laura Troxell

Laura Troxell is an occupational therapist with expertise in clinical intervention for individuals with neurological and low-vision conditions. She also creates neurological and low-vision educational content for learning opportunities for staff and local universities. She has more than a decade of experience and knowledge…

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Holly Stants

Holly Stants is an award-winning occupational therapist and clinical interventionist with expertise in functional outcomes measurement, quality improvement, and low-vision intervention for people with blindness and low vision and other comorbid conditions. She also creates low-vision educational content for learning…

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Chapters & learning objectives

Why Are Visual Field Deficits So Common Following Neurological Insult?

1. Why Are Visual Field Deficits So Common Following Neurological Insult?

Chapter 1 provides background on neuroanatomy, including a review of the visual pathways, what types of neurological insult are likely to result in visual field deficits, and how these common impairments negatively impact daily function.

How to Screen a Client for Homonymous Hemianopsia/Hemianopia

2. How to Screen a Client for Homonymous Hemianopsia/Hemianopia

Chapter 2 provides detailed information on frequently observed behaviors indicative of visual field deficits and reviews screening and evaluation tools to help identify, quantify, and measure changes in visual field deficits.

Intervention Planning for Clients With HH

3. Intervention Planning for Clients With HH

Chapter 3 reviews intervention strategies for clients with homonymous hemianopsia/hemianopia by using case study examples and techniques to address the specific needs of the client.

How to Evaluate and Treat Clients With Unilateral Spatial Neglect

4. How to Evaluate and Treat Clients With Unilateral Spatial Neglect

Chapter 4 presents techniques on how to differentiate attentional neglect from visual field deficits through the use of evidence-based measures so that learners understand when these impairments overlap. Also, tips to better estimate a client’s plan-of-care length and intensity are covered.

Evidence-Based Interventions for VFD and Neglect

5. Evidence-Based Interventions for VFD and Neglect

Chapter 5 provides information on creating or expanding your current treatment activity repertoire. You’ll learn how to use evidence-based approaches that meet your client’s unique needs and skill levels and are appropriate for clients with neurologic-based visual field deficits and/or neglect.