What is stroke and hemianopia?
In short
- A stroke can take away half of the visual field in both eyes, cause double vision, or make one side of the world easy to miss. Rehabilitation and training help, and some sight returns in the months afterwards.
- Missing one half of the view in both eyes, bumping into things on one side, missing words at the start or end of a line.
- Vision assessment is part of stroke rehabilitation.
Also called: Hemianopia, Homonymous hemianopia
- Part of the eye
- Brain and the visual pathway
- Group
- Retina & sight loss
- Vision functions involved
- Visual field, Alignment and depth
- Main source
- RNIB
A stroke starves part of the brain of oxygen. If it hits the visual pathway, the eyes still work but the picture is not fully processed. The main problems are loss of part of the visual field in both eyes, eye movement problems such as double vision, and visual processing problems such as neglect, trouble judging depth and movement, difficulty recognising objects or faces, and sometimes hallucinations. Hemianopia, the loss of one half of the visual field, is the most common.
Ophthalmologist
A medical doctor who specialises in eye conditions and their treatment. Glossary entry
Visual field
The whole area you can see, including the sides. Glossary entry
Hemianopia
Loss of half of the visual field in both eyes, usually after a stroke or brain injury. Glossary entry
Ophthalmologist
A hospital doctor who specialises in eyes. Glossary entry
Low-vision clinic
A hospital or optician service which assesses the sight you have and provides magnifiers, lighting advice and training. Glossary entry
How stroke and hemianopia can affect day-to-day life
You may recognise some of these situations, or none of them. The point is to find help with the things you want to do.
Reading a page
Words at the start or end of each line vanish.
Use a ruler or a finger to find the line start. Scanning training from an orthoptist helps.
Crossing a road
Traffic from the affected side is not seen.
Turn your head fully to the missing side before stepping out. Ask about mobility training from a rehabilitation officer.
Changes you may notice
- Missing one half of the view in both eyes, bumping into things on one side, missing words at the start or end of a line.
- Double vision, blurred vision, moving images, trouble reading, and sometimes dry eye or light sensitivity.
Everyone is different. Symptoms on their own cannot identify a condition.
What to do about a new or sudden changeAssessment and care
Vision assessment is part of stroke rehabilitation. The stroke team, GP or ophthalmologist can refer you for an orthoptic assessment and to a low-vision clinic. Treatment depends on the problem and can include glasses, prisms, patching, magnifiers, visual scanning techniques and computer-based rehabilitation programmes for field loss. Some improvement is possible over months, but field loss is often permanent.
Driving
Visual field loss after a stroke must be reported to DVLA. Driving is only allowed if the field meets the standard, which an Esterman test checks. Many people with hemianopia cannot drive.
How vision is affected
These topics explain the parts of vision involved. They do not predict your sight, diagnose anything or show the condition itself.
Visual field
Finding a face and noticing the edge of a step make different demands on sight. One uses the centre of your view. The other uses the edges.
Open the visual field labAlignment and depth
Your brain combines the view from each eye with perspective, size and movement. Judging depth uses several clues at once.
Open the alignment and depth labEveryday support
Learn to scan deliberately towards the missing side, and ask family to approach from the side you see. Mark the start of lines when reading, or use a ruler. Tell DVLA: hemianopia affects both eyes and usually means you cannot drive unless your field recovers to the standard. The Stroke Association and RNIB have practical resources on vision after stroke.
Driving: you must tell DVLA about an eye condition which affects both eyes, or your only seeing eye. Driving and your eyesight
Common questions
Will my sight come back after a stroke?
Some people see improvement over the months after a stroke, more often after an ischaemic stroke. It depends on where and how much of the brain was affected. For many people with visual field loss, the loss is permanent, which is why rehabilitation and scanning training matter.
What is visual neglect?
The brain ignores one side of the world even though the eyes can see it. You may leave food on one side of the plate or bump into things on that side. It is treated with training rather than glasses.
Who can help me read again?
An orthoptist or low-vision specialist can assess you and teach scanning techniques, and may use prisms on glasses, patching, magnifiers or computer-based training. Ask the stroke team, GP or ophthalmologist for a referral.
A question to take to your appointment
Which part of my vision has been affected, is any of it likely to recover, and which rehabilitation can I be referred to now?Prepare your appointment checklist
Sources and review status
- Written by
- The Omnirx.io team, from the sources above
- Sources checked
- Page updated
- Next review due
- Clinical review
- Not yet. No clinician has endorsed this page.
- Reading level
- About 17 words a sentence, 240 words of guidance
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Cite this page
Glanced (2026) Stroke and hemianopia: what the name means, care and support. Omnirx.io team for Medstack Ltd. Available at: https://www.glanced.co.uk/condition/stroke-and-hemianopia/ (Accessed: ). Source checked 4 October 2026.
Educational information. Follow the advice of your own eye-care team.