title: An interdisciplinary visual team in an acute and sub-acute stroke unit: Providing assessment and early rehabilitation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the work of an interdisciplinary visual team in a stroke unit providing early identification and assessment of patients with visual symptoms, and secondly to investigate frequency, type of visual deficits after stroke and self-evaluated impact on everyday life after stroke.
  
  
  METHODS
  For a period of three months, all stroke patients with visual or visuo-attentional deficits were registered, and data concerning etiology, severity and localization of the stroke and initial visual symptoms were registered. One month after discharge patients were contacted for follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 349 acute stroke admissions, 84 (24.1%) had visual or visuo-attentional deficits initially. Of these 84 patients, informed consent was obtained from 22 patients with a mean age of 67.7 years(SD 10.1), and the majority was female (59.1%). Based on the initial neurological examination, 45.4% had some kind of visual field defect, 27.2% had some kind of oculomotor nerve palsy, and about 31.8% had some kind of inattention or visual neglect. The patients were contacted for a phone-based follow-up one month after discharge, where 85.7% reported changes in their vision since their stroke.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this consecutive sample, a quarter of all stroke patients had visual or visuo-attentional deficits initially. This emphasizes how professionals should have increased awareness of the existence of such deficits after stroke in order to provide the necessary interdisciplinary assessment and rehabilitation.
authors: Department of Neurology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Norup
authors: Department of Neurology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Anne-Mette
authors: AM
authors: Guldberg
authors: Department of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Claus Radmer
authors: CR
authors: Friis
authors: Department of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Eva Maria
authors: EM
authors: Deurell
authors: Department of Neurology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Hysse Birgitte
authors: HB
authors: Forchhammer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009886:Ophthalmoplegia / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation / Q000379:methods*; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D058609:Visual Field Tests
keywords: Stroke; and early rehabilitation; vision disorders; visual deficits; visual rehabilitation