Eye patching in unilateral spatial neglect: efficacy of two methods.

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether patches obscuring half the visual field affect eye movement in subjects with unilateral spatial neglect and whether there is consequent improvement in the subject's everyday life, and to interpret the potential changes observed with the aid of a theoretical model.

DESIGN

Prospective and randomized study.

SETTING

Rehabilitation medicine department in an urban general hospital.

PATIENTS

Twenty-two subjects with left unilateral neglect.

INTERVENTION

Two eye-patching procedures-right half-field patches (n = 7) and right mononuclar patch (n = 7)-and control group (n = 8).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Functional tests (FIM) and analytical tests (measurement of right eye movements by photo-oculography) at admission and after 3 months.

RESULTS

Results of the paired comparison tests showed (1) significant differences between the control group and the group with the half-eye patches for total FIM score (p = .01) and the displacements of the right eye in the left field (p = .02), and (2) no significant differences between the control group and the group with the right monocular patch.

CONCLUSION

Patching the right half-field helped subjects initially regain voluntary control over the deficit. The actual interpretation is based on physiologic and psychophysiologic models.