Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesRisk FactorsSymptomsAffects on VisionTreatmentRecovery
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Risk Factors
Symptoms
Affects on Vision
Treatment
Recovery
An occipitalstrokehappens in the back of the brain. This lobe, or part of the brain, helps people to recognize what they see. That means strokes in theoccipitallobe can cause vision changes, which occur in 8% to 25% of all people who have a stroke.
Strokes in thefrontal,parietal, ortemporallobes happen more often than occipital lobe strokes do. Occipital lobe strokes can happen in one or both occipital lobes.
This article will go over why occipital lobe strokes happen. You will also learn the symptoms of occipital lobe strokes and how strokes in this part of your brain can affect your vision.
Verywell / Jiaqi Zhou
Types of Cortical Strokes
What Causes an Occipital Lobe Stroke?
The occipital lobes allow forvisuospatial abilitiesand processing (understanding of immediate surroundings) including:
The occipital lobes' role in these functions means that a stroke to this area can cause partial vision loss, visualhallucinations, or even total blindness.
It’s the job of arteries to get blood with oxygen in it to the occipital lobes of your brain. If the blood supply to one or both of the occipital lobes gets stopped, it causes a stroke.
Where Is the Occipital Region of the Brain?The occipital region of the brain is located on the brain’s rear side and situated beneath the parietal lobe. There is a cerebral fissure (deep grooves) that divides the two occipital lobes.
Where Is the Occipital Region of the Brain?
The occipital region of the brain is located on the brain’s rear side and situated beneath the parietal lobe. There is a cerebral fissure (deep grooves) that divides the two occipital lobes.
Anatomy of the Brain
Occipital Lobe Stroke Risk Factors
Occipital strokes are linked to a number of risk factors, some of which can be reduced through lifestyle changes, medication, and other factors. Others, such as age, cannot.
Most strokes happen in people over the age of 65, with only about 25% occurring in people below 65.There are rare cases in children.
For most people, though, the most common cause of strokes arehypertension(high blood pressure) andatherosclerosis(causing blocked arteries). Other common causes include:
Other factors contributing to your risk of stroke include smoking and/or alcohol and the use of drugs such as cocaine andmethamphetamine.
Causes and Risk Factors of Stroke
Occipital Stroke Symptoms
Occipital strokes typically affect vision, although symptoms affecting the eyes are common with other types of TIAs and strokes, too.These can range from blurred vision to total blindness in one or both eyes or a specific change like an inability to recognize faces.
An occipital stroke may also cause common symptoms of stroke, including:
When Should You Worry About a Headache?
How Occipital Stroke Affects Vision
An occipital lobe stroke can cause visual changes. If you have a stroke in this part of your brain you may experience partialvision loss, completeblindness, and seeing things that are not really there (visual hallucinations). Some people develop other vision syndromes.
Any type of stroke can affect your vision. However, strokes in the parts of your brain that help you see are the most likely to cause vision changes. These parts are called the occipital lobes.
Left-Sided Strokes
Homonomous Hemianopia
When the stroke affects most of the occipital lobe on one side of the brain, you may lose half of the vision in each eye. This condition is calledhomonymous hemianopia.
A stroke survivor with homonymous hemianopia cannot see objects on one side. It will be the side that is opposite from the side where the stroke happened. For example, if the stroke was in the left occipital lobe of the brain, the person would have a hard time seeing objects to the right.
This vision problem usually affects both of your eyes. You won’t be able to see your right side from your right eye or your left eye.
However, your eyes work together to see. This is called visual integration. If you have homonymous hemianopia, your eyes might not be affected to the same degree.
Right-Sided Strokes
Central Vision Defect
An occipital pole stroke can cause a big blind spot in the middle of your vision. The blind spot will be on the same side as the stroke.
This blind spot would make you have trouble seeing the face of a person standing directly across from you.
You might not be able to see the person’s nose, upper lip, and the lower half of their eye on the side where you have the blind spot. However, you would still be able to see the person’s shoulder and the top of their head.
Cortical Blindness
Some stroke survivors know that they cannot see, but others do not. Some people are not aware of their blindness and experience visual hallucinations. The is calledAnton syndromeor Balint syndrome.
Some occipital stroke survivors have a condition called visualanosognosia. The condition means that the brain ignores one side of the person’s vision.
Visual Illusions
An occipital stroke can lead to visual illusions. People may have double vision when there’s only one object in view, or their vision can be monochromatic (all colors are the same).
People who have strokes also may have difficulty in identifying the correct size, shape, and weight of objects, even though they can see them.This feature can become important during post-stroke therapy and in avoiding harms, such as falls, during recovery.
Inability to Read
Some people who experience an occipital stroke may develop alexia, an inability to read. The deficit doesn’t seem to extend to writing ability, though. In this case, it’s called alexia without agraphia.
People with this type of “word blindness” may even be able to spell words and recognize individual letters, but they can’t read them. In some cases, they can’t read the words they just wrote since their ability to see and write wasn’t affected but their alexia remains.
Remedial therapy, including computer-based techniques, may help to restore some reading ability but there is no cure at this time.
A Guide to Visual Distortions
Treatment for Occipital Lobe Stroke
Occipital stroke treatment will vary depending on a number of factors, including:
Healthcare providers caring for people who have visual impairment after an occipital stroke will choose specific methods designed to help restore function or, where necessary, help them to adapt to new limitations.
Recovering from an Occipital Stroke
Each person’s recovery from an occipital stroke will be different, depending on the extent of the stroke damage and other factors. That said, vision changes are common, with some 70% of people diagnosed with a stroke having some type of eye movement disorder.
Recovery may involve a wide range of options, from balance and gait exercises for preventing falls, to specific eye therapies like vision restoration therapy or head posture exercises. Healthcare providers also will monitor underlying conditions that may have contributed to the stroke, like high blood pressure or diabetes.
How long recovery takes, and how complete a recovery is achieved, also depends on individual circumstances. Research suggests that focused rehabilitation care within three to six months of a stroke can lead to maximum recovery and improved outcomes.
Outlook for Stroke and RecoveryA comprehensive study of 668 people who experienced strokes at ages younger than 65 followed their progress for a year. At the end of 12 months, 70% had little or no disability and 57% of those with jobs had returned to work. Most had access to rehabilitative care for at least three months, but they still reported depression symptoms and impacts to quality of life.
Outlook for Stroke and Recovery
A comprehensive study of 668 people who experienced strokes at ages younger than 65 followed their progress for a year. At the end of 12 months, 70% had little or no disability and 57% of those with jobs had returned to work. Most had access to rehabilitative care for at least three months, but they still reported depression symptoms and impacts to quality of life.
Summary
The occipital lobes of the brain help you see. If a stroke happens in this part of the brain, it can change your vision.
For example, you might not be able to see a person’s face well if they’re standing right in front of you. You might not be able to see things on one side of your body. Some people see things that are not there. Other people lose their sight completely after a stroke.
Occipital lobe strokes are not common. However, other strokes can also cause vision changes. It’s important to know that sudden, intense vision changes can be a sign that you’re having a stroke. If you suddenly cannot see or are seeing unusual things, seek medical care right away.
Coping After a Stroke
16 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Pula JH, Yuen CA.Eyes and stroke: The visual aspects of cerebrovascular disease.Stroke Vasc Neurol. 2017;2(4):210-220. doi:10.1136/svn-2017-000079Rehman A, Al Khalili Y.Neuroanatomy, occipital lobe. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022.Yousufuddin M, Young N.Aging and ischemic stroke.Aging(Albany NY). 2019;11(9):2542-2544. doi:10.18632/aging.101931ZZhang Q, Shan KS, O’Sullivan C, Nace T.Iron deficiency anemia: An unexpected cause of an acute occipital lobe stroke in an otherwise healthy young woman.Cureus. 2020 Apr 27;12(4):e7852. doi:10.7759/cureus.7852Boehme AK, Esenwa C, Elkind MS.Stroke risk factors, genetics, and prevention.Circ Res. 2017;120(3):472-495. doi:10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.116.308398Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Stroke signs and symptoms.Morenas-rodríguez E, Camps-renom P, Pérez-cordón A, et al.Visual hallucinations in patients with acute stroke: A prospective exploratory study.Eur J Neurol. 2017;24(5):734-740. doi:10.1111/ene.13278Rowe FJ, Wright D, Brand D, et al.A prospective profile of visual field loss following stroke: Prevalence, type, rehabilitation, and outcome.Biomed Res Int. 2013. doi:10.1155/2013/719096North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society.Homonymous hemianopsia.Melnick MD, Tadin D, Huxlin KR.Relearning to see in cortical blindness.Neuroscientist. 2016;22(2):199-212. doi:10.1177/1073858415621035Zukić S, Sinanović O, Zonić L, Hodžić R, Mujagić S, Smajlović E.Anton’s Syndrome due to bilateral ischemic occipital lobe strokes.Case Rep Neurol Med. 2014. doi:10.1155/2014/474952Ryu T, Park J, Bitkina OV.Effect on perceived weight of object shapes.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(16):9877. doi:10.3390/ijerph19169877American Academy of Ophthalmology.Alexia without agraphia.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke.Batool S, Zafar H, Gilani SA, Ahmad A, Hanif A.Effects of visual scanning exercises in addition to task specific approach on balance and activities of daily livings in post stroke patients with eye movement disorders: A randomized controlled trial.BMC Neurol. 2022;22(1):312. doi:10.1186/s12883-022-02843-7Walters R, Collier JM, Braighi Carvalho L, Langhorne P, Katijjahbe MA, Tan D,et al.Exploring post acute rehabilitation service use and outcomes for working age stroke survivors (≤65 years) in Australia, UK and South East Asia: Data from the international AVERT trial.BMJ Open. 2020 Jun 11;10(6):e035850. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-035850.
16 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Pula JH, Yuen CA.Eyes and stroke: The visual aspects of cerebrovascular disease.Stroke Vasc Neurol. 2017;2(4):210-220. doi:10.1136/svn-2017-000079Rehman A, Al Khalili Y.Neuroanatomy, occipital lobe. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022.Yousufuddin M, Young N.Aging and ischemic stroke.Aging(Albany NY). 2019;11(9):2542-2544. doi:10.18632/aging.101931ZZhang Q, Shan KS, O’Sullivan C, Nace T.Iron deficiency anemia: An unexpected cause of an acute occipital lobe stroke in an otherwise healthy young woman.Cureus. 2020 Apr 27;12(4):e7852. doi:10.7759/cureus.7852Boehme AK, Esenwa C, Elkind MS.Stroke risk factors, genetics, and prevention.Circ Res. 2017;120(3):472-495. doi:10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.116.308398Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Stroke signs and symptoms.Morenas-rodríguez E, Camps-renom P, Pérez-cordón A, et al.Visual hallucinations in patients with acute stroke: A prospective exploratory study.Eur J Neurol. 2017;24(5):734-740. doi:10.1111/ene.13278Rowe FJ, Wright D, Brand D, et al.A prospective profile of visual field loss following stroke: Prevalence, type, rehabilitation, and outcome.Biomed Res Int. 2013. doi:10.1155/2013/719096North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society.Homonymous hemianopsia.Melnick MD, Tadin D, Huxlin KR.Relearning to see in cortical blindness.Neuroscientist. 2016;22(2):199-212. doi:10.1177/1073858415621035Zukić S, Sinanović O, Zonić L, Hodžić R, Mujagić S, Smajlović E.Anton’s Syndrome due to bilateral ischemic occipital lobe strokes.Case Rep Neurol Med. 2014. doi:10.1155/2014/474952Ryu T, Park J, Bitkina OV.Effect on perceived weight of object shapes.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(16):9877. doi:10.3390/ijerph19169877American Academy of Ophthalmology.Alexia without agraphia.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke.Batool S, Zafar H, Gilani SA, Ahmad A, Hanif A.Effects of visual scanning exercises in addition to task specific approach on balance and activities of daily livings in post stroke patients with eye movement disorders: A randomized controlled trial.BMC Neurol. 2022;22(1):312. doi:10.1186/s12883-022-02843-7Walters R, Collier JM, Braighi Carvalho L, Langhorne P, Katijjahbe MA, Tan D,et al.Exploring post acute rehabilitation service use and outcomes for working age stroke survivors (≤65 years) in Australia, UK and South East Asia: Data from the international AVERT trial.BMJ Open. 2020 Jun 11;10(6):e035850. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-035850.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Pula JH, Yuen CA.Eyes and stroke: The visual aspects of cerebrovascular disease.Stroke Vasc Neurol. 2017;2(4):210-220. doi:10.1136/svn-2017-000079Rehman A, Al Khalili Y.Neuroanatomy, occipital lobe. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022.Yousufuddin M, Young N.Aging and ischemic stroke.Aging(Albany NY). 2019;11(9):2542-2544. doi:10.18632/aging.101931ZZhang Q, Shan KS, O’Sullivan C, Nace T.Iron deficiency anemia: An unexpected cause of an acute occipital lobe stroke in an otherwise healthy young woman.Cureus. 2020 Apr 27;12(4):e7852. doi:10.7759/cureus.7852Boehme AK, Esenwa C, Elkind MS.Stroke risk factors, genetics, and prevention.Circ Res. 2017;120(3):472-495. doi:10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.116.308398Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Stroke signs and symptoms.Morenas-rodríguez E, Camps-renom P, Pérez-cordón A, et al.Visual hallucinations in patients with acute stroke: A prospective exploratory study.Eur J Neurol. 2017;24(5):734-740. doi:10.1111/ene.13278Rowe FJ, Wright D, Brand D, et al.A prospective profile of visual field loss following stroke: Prevalence, type, rehabilitation, and outcome.Biomed Res Int. 2013. doi:10.1155/2013/719096North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society.Homonymous hemianopsia.Melnick MD, Tadin D, Huxlin KR.Relearning to see in cortical blindness.Neuroscientist. 2016;22(2):199-212. doi:10.1177/1073858415621035Zukić S, Sinanović O, Zonić L, Hodžić R, Mujagić S, Smajlović E.Anton’s Syndrome due to bilateral ischemic occipital lobe strokes.Case Rep Neurol Med. 2014. doi:10.1155/2014/474952Ryu T, Park J, Bitkina OV.Effect on perceived weight of object shapes.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(16):9877. doi:10.3390/ijerph19169877American Academy of Ophthalmology.Alexia without agraphia.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke.Batool S, Zafar H, Gilani SA, Ahmad A, Hanif A.Effects of visual scanning exercises in addition to task specific approach on balance and activities of daily livings in post stroke patients with eye movement disorders: A randomized controlled trial.BMC Neurol. 2022;22(1):312. doi:10.1186/s12883-022-02843-7Walters R, Collier JM, Braighi Carvalho L, Langhorne P, Katijjahbe MA, Tan D,et al.Exploring post acute rehabilitation service use and outcomes for working age stroke survivors (≤65 years) in Australia, UK and South East Asia: Data from the international AVERT trial.BMJ Open. 2020 Jun 11;10(6):e035850. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-035850.
Pula JH, Yuen CA.Eyes and stroke: The visual aspects of cerebrovascular disease.Stroke Vasc Neurol. 2017;2(4):210-220. doi:10.1136/svn-2017-000079
Rehman A, Al Khalili Y.Neuroanatomy, occipital lobe. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022.
Yousufuddin M, Young N.Aging and ischemic stroke.Aging(Albany NY). 2019;11(9):2542-2544. doi:10.18632/aging.101931
ZZhang Q, Shan KS, O’Sullivan C, Nace T.Iron deficiency anemia: An unexpected cause of an acute occipital lobe stroke in an otherwise healthy young woman.Cureus. 2020 Apr 27;12(4):e7852. doi:10.7759/cureus.7852
Boehme AK, Esenwa C, Elkind MS.Stroke risk factors, genetics, and prevention.Circ Res. 2017;120(3):472-495. doi:10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.116.308398
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Stroke signs and symptoms.
Morenas-rodríguez E, Camps-renom P, Pérez-cordón A, et al.Visual hallucinations in patients with acute stroke: A prospective exploratory study.Eur J Neurol. 2017;24(5):734-740. doi:10.1111/ene.13278
Rowe FJ, Wright D, Brand D, et al.A prospective profile of visual field loss following stroke: Prevalence, type, rehabilitation, and outcome.Biomed Res Int. 2013. doi:10.1155/2013/719096
North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society.Homonymous hemianopsia.
Melnick MD, Tadin D, Huxlin KR.Relearning to see in cortical blindness.Neuroscientist. 2016;22(2):199-212. doi:10.1177/1073858415621035
Zukić S, Sinanović O, Zonić L, Hodžić R, Mujagić S, Smajlović E.Anton’s Syndrome due to bilateral ischemic occipital lobe strokes.Case Rep Neurol Med. 2014. doi:10.1155/2014/474952
Ryu T, Park J, Bitkina OV.Effect on perceived weight of object shapes.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(16):9877. doi:10.3390/ijerph19169877
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Alexia without agraphia.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke.
Batool S, Zafar H, Gilani SA, Ahmad A, Hanif A.Effects of visual scanning exercises in addition to task specific approach on balance and activities of daily livings in post stroke patients with eye movement disorders: A randomized controlled trial.BMC Neurol. 2022;22(1):312. doi:10.1186/s12883-022-02843-7
Walters R, Collier JM, Braighi Carvalho L, Langhorne P, Katijjahbe MA, Tan D,et al.Exploring post acute rehabilitation service use and outcomes for working age stroke survivors (≤65 years) in Australia, UK and South East Asia: Data from the international AVERT trial.BMJ Open. 2020 Jun 11;10(6):e035850. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-035850.
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