3. Visual Stimulation and Rehabilitation

How is set up the visual stimulation and rehabilitation program?

The rehabilitation format, methods and instruments, the number of in-office and at home sessions and the duration of the rehabilitation plan is decided based on your individual functional vision profile. Certain rehabilitation programs have to set up for weeks, months and sometimes even one year, especially in case of people suffering from traumatic brain injury or stroke or with a long history of visual dysfunction.

 

What it means visual profile and why is this important for the rehabilitation program?

The characteristics of the visual profile took into consideration for the rehabilitation plan are:

• the person´s age;

• the status of visual functioning and ability of visual information processing;

• time between the occurrence of visual dysfunctions and starting of the rehabilitation program;

• the level of individual visual attention and endurance necessary to engage in the rehabilitation program;

• associated medical conditions or medication that might affect the ongoing process of rehabilitation and overall individual wellbeing;

• individual mobility and motor control;

• communication abilities, ex. for instance if the individual lost the verbal ability of communication.

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What I can expect from a visual stimulation and rehabilitation program?

A visual stimulation and rehabilitation program might include the following techniques and devices, which, as mentioned above, are decided based on your characteristics and needs. However, you can find below a few examples of the exercise:

• Sitting, standing, or laying down exercises that involve both your eyes and the visual system, but also the entire body, for instance, to check how your vision is involved in the processing of information in the environment and how you can transfer this information in achieving different visual-guided tasks such as walking, stretching, moving different part of your body with visual control.

• Exercises for training the oculomotor functions include focusing on near and distant visual targets such as objects, letters, colors, and so forth using electronic devices, computer software, or visual stimuli.

• Visual training and scanning exercises at different speeds and levels of difficulty.

• Light and color stimulation balances the nervous system and strengthens the visual system.

• Exercises for training eye-hand coordination, such as drawing, copying after a model, and drawing with both hands simultaneously. This training aims to see how to integrate your visual ability into motor, cognitive, and communication tasks.

• Computer-based visual stimulation and rehabilitation strengthen visual attention, focus, eye movement, saccades, and functional field.