What happens when you have a stroke in the occipital lobe?
The occipital lobe spans across both hemispheres of the brain. When stroke affects the occipital lobe on one side, it can cause blindness on the opposite side of the visual field. For example, a stroke in the right occipital lobe can result in blindness on the left side of the visual field. Cortical Blindness.
What does the left occipital lobe of the brain control?
Each side of your brain contains four lobes. The frontal lobe is important for cognitive functions and control of voluntary movement or activity. The parietal lobe processes information about temperature, taste, touch and movement, while the occipital lobe is primarily responsible for vision.
What may occur with damage to the left occipital lobe of the brain?
Damage to one side of the occipital lobe causes homonomous loss of vision with exactly the same “field cut” in both eyes. Disorders of the occipital lobe can cause visual hallucinations and illusions.
What are the symptoms of occipital lobe damage?
OCCIPITAL LOBES: most posterior, at the back of the head
- Defects in vision (Visual Field Cuts).
- Difficulty with locating objects in environment.
- Difficulty with identifying colors (Color Agnosia).
- Production of hallucinations.
- Visual illusions – inaccurately seeing objects.
- Word blindness – inability to recognize words.
How long does it take to recover from an occipital stroke?
It may take about six months before you see any improvement in your visual field following an occipital stroke. Each person’s recovery is unique, though, and your recovery time can vary from weeks to years.
How common are occipital lobe strokes?
In general, occipital lobe strokes are relatively uncommon compared to strokes affecting the other lobes of the brain (frontal, parietal and temporal).
Can the occipital lobe repair itself?
The occipital lobe, located in the rear portion of the cerebral cortex, is primarily responsible for visual functions. It is the part of the brain where visual information is processed. After it is processed, visual information leaves the occipital lobe via two major pathways: the dorsal stream and the ventral stream.
What disorders are associated with the occipital lobe?
Linked medical conditions
- Blindness. Because the occipital lobe deals with vision, one possible result of damage in this area is full or partial blindness.
- Anton syndrome. Anton syndrome is a rare form of blindness that occurs without the person being aware of it.
- Riddoch syndrome.
- Epilepsy.
- Other forms of dysfunction.
Can occipital lobe damage be repaired?
With enough therapy, it can actually rewire nerve cells to allow undamaged brain regions to take over functions from damaged ones. Which means even if you have severe occipital lobe damage, you might still regain your sight after brain injury.
Can you live without your occipital lobe?
The occipital lobe is one of the less-known brain structures that all humans carry about within their crania. Survival after severe damage to the occipital lobe is possible because it is involved in but one process, a very important one: vision. The occipital lobe houses the primary visual cortex of the brain.
Can you recover from an occipital lobe stroke?
Does vision come back after occipital stroke?
The Rochester team found that survivors of occipital strokes—strokes that occur in the occipital lobe of the brain and affect the ability to see—may retain some visual capabilities immediately after the stroke, but these abilities diminish and eventually disappear permanently after approximately six months.
How does a stroke affect the occipital lobe?
When stroke affects the occipital lobe on one side, it can cause blindness on the opposite side of the visual field. For example, a stroke in the right occipital lobe can result in blindness on the left side of the visual field.
Outlook for occipital stroke. It may take about six months before you see any improvement in your visual field following an occipital stroke. Each person’s recovery is unique, though, and your recovery time can vary from weeks to years.
How does a doctor check for an occipital stroke?
People with occipital strokes are often younger, and have a lower systolic blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels, than people who have other types of strokes. Your doctor will review your signs and symptoms with you. They’ll go over your medical history, perform a physical exam, and run any relevant tests.
Can a stroke be accompanied by a cerebellar stroke?
Because of the arrangement of the blood vessels that supply the occipital lobe, sometimes an occipital lobe stroke is accompanied by a cerebellar stroke or a brainstem stroke.