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A Wrinkle in My Time Living with Hemianopsia

    March of 2009 my world was rocked.   I experienced a cryptogenic stroke which is a stroke caused by a blood clot from an unknown cause.  The clot was located in the right frontal occipital lobe of my brain. As a result, I suffer from Hemianopsia. What this means is that a portion of my visual field is missing in both my eyes.  Hemianopsia is classified by the part of your visual field that’s missing.
These are the parts of my visual fields that are no longer there.
 left homonymous: left half 
  • superior: upper half 
  • inferior: or lower half 
  • In other words, I can only see in the right side visual field.  Another way to illustrate this is to ask you to imagine a dinner plate divided evenly in four quarters.  I can only see portions of the right side quarters of the plate. If we run into each other either at the church or on the street please know, it is very hard for me to recognize anyone.  I only see a portion of a person’s face. Therefore when you say hello to me and I seem a little unsure or if I appear not to recognize you it is because I am trying to put together the sound of your voice with what I see of your face.   
Hemianopsia affects my balance. I don’t feel safe when I am walking with my cane.  It is easy for me to trip and d fall over unseen objects. 
Hemianopsia also limits depth perception, When walking outside everything looks flat whether the sidewalks are slanted uphill or downhill. Most of the time when I venture out to stay safe from falls I rely on my power wheelchair.   
  I am likely to get lost in a building I am not familiar with.  When I walk into a room I see things that are on my right, As I walk out I see the opposite side which is entirely different.   It is like being in a whole different room. I try to memorize how many turns I have to make and whether they are left or right turns so that I am able to find my way out.  Quite often my husband has had to rescue me when I have gotten lost in a strange restaurant or store. On a trip to Walmart, I got so lost in the store that I could not find the exit and it took me half an hour to find the exit.  When 
  The loss of my vision affects my ability to read.  Because my vision loss is to the left I often miss the first few letters to a word,  Our minds do a very funny thing which took some time for me to learn to compensate for.  A person’s brain will fill in the missing letters to a word. So if the word I was looking at was walking, my mind might fill in the missing first letter on the left and I might think that word is talking.  When I first started to read again this made for some pretty crazy sentences!  
The loss of vision causes me to misplace things.   I have walked into walls, people, counters, and various other things. Living with Hemianopsia Is the hardest thing I have been called to do.  Every time I make a miss-step I look up to God and thank Him for keeping me safe. 
Proverbs 3 5Hope in Lord Jehovah from your whole heart and do not trust upon the wisdom of your soul.
6Know him in all your ways and he straightens your paths.

Comments

  1. FilJune 4, 2020 at 7:26 AM

    Thank you, Susan, for inviting me into your world & giving me this vivid picture of what it’s like being you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dr,Susan BowenJune 4, 2020 at 9:44 AM

      You are a dear friend. It is my pleasure to share my world with you.

      Delete

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