Smith Kimberly G, Bhutada Ankita M
Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, University of South Alabama.
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina.
Aphasiology. 2021;35(2):186-199. doi: 10.1080/02687038.2019.1702918. Epub 2019 Dec 19.
Visual functioning is often affected in persons with aphasia following stroke and other brain injuries. Characterizing the visual functioning of persons with aphasia is imperative in both clinical and research domains; however, visual functioning of persons with aphasia is infrequently assessed or described in either domain.
This study aims to examine the utility of various visual screening measures as indicated by Hallowell (2008) and document the results of the screening tools for a cohort of persons with aphasia.
METHODS & PROCEDURES: Twenty-three individuals with chronic aphasia completed a detailed vision screening using a visual case history, the Visual Activities Questionnaire, the McDowell Vision Screening, an Amsler grid, the line bisection task, and the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale item 3-visual.
OUTCOMES & RESULTS: Two-thirds of the participants reported significant visual histories with only one participant reporting stroke-related visual deficits. On average, the group rated visual difficulty during daily activities as never or rarely occurring, with the least difficulty reported for color discrimination and the most difficulty with visual acuity and visual search, though still only occurring rarely. All participants passed the cover/uncover screening task measuring ocular alignment and motility, the color perception screening task, and several tasks measuring ocular function. Failing scores, however, were assigned for about half of the participants for distance visual acuity, and only three participants for near visual acuity. Visual fields were normal for about two-thirds of the participants and all participants presented with normal visual attention.
The results suggest that visual deficits are common in persons with aphasia, but are not necessarily related to the stroke that the person experienced. The results highlight the need to screen the vision of persons with aphasia both for clinical purposes and research protocols to ensure visual deficits are treated, compensated for, or controlled.
中风及其他脑损伤后失语症患者的视觉功能常受影响。在临床和研究领域，明确失语症患者的视觉功能状况至关重要；然而，在这两个领域中，失语症患者的视觉功能很少得到评估或描述。
本研究旨在检验哈洛威尔（2008年）指出的各种视觉筛查措施的效用，并记录一组失语症患者的筛查工具结果。
23名慢性失语症患者通过视觉病史、视觉活动问卷、麦克道尔视力筛查、阿姆斯勒方格表、直线二等分任务以及美国国立卫生研究院卒中量表项目3（视觉）完成了详细的视力筛查。
三分之二的参与者报告有显著的视觉病史，只有一名参与者报告有与中风相关的视觉缺陷。平均而言，该组将日常活动中的视觉困难评为从未或很少发生，颜色辨别方面报告的困难最少，视力和视觉搜索方面困难最多，不过仍然只是很少发生。所有参与者通过了测量眼位对准和眼球运动的遮盖/去遮盖筛查任务、颜色感知筛查任务以及几项测量眼功能的任务。然而，约一半参与者的远视力得分不及格，近视力只有三名参与者不及格。约三分之二参与者的视野正常，所有参与者的视觉注意力均正常。
结果表明，视觉缺陷在失语症患者中很常见，但不一定与患者经历的中风有关。结果强调，出于临床目的和研究方案的考虑，有必要对失语症患者进行视力筛查，以确保视觉缺陷得到治疗、补偿或控制。
