A female patient is experiencing hemianopia after her diagnosis of a right stroke. How might the nurse assist the patient manage her potential sensory and perceptional difficulties?

Question

A) Keep the lighting in the patient's room low.
B) Place the patient's clock on the affected side.
C) Approach the patient on the side the vision is impaired.
D) Place the patient's extremities where she can see them.

Answer 1

Ans: D
Feedback: It is important for the nurse to place the patient's extremities where she can see them. Patients with a decreased field of vision should be approached on the side where visual perception is intact. All visual stimuli (clock, calendar, and television) should be placed on this side. The patient can be taught to turn the head in the direction of the defective visual field to compensate for this loss. Increasing the natural or artificial lighting in the room and providing eyeglasses are important in increasing vision. The patient with homonymous hemianopia (loss of half of the visual field) turns away from the affected side of the body and tends to neglect that side and the space on that side; this is called amorphosynthesis. In such instances, the patient cannot see food on half of the tray, and only half of the room is visible. It is important for the nurse to remind the patient constantly of the other side of the body and to maintain alignment of the extremities.