Strokes in your brain’s occipital lobe primarily cause visual symptoms like loss of field of vision affecting both eyes. Prompt treatment is necessary to avoid permanent blindness and other serious complications.

Your occipital lobe is one of four lobes in the brain. It controls your vision perception. An occipital stroke is a stroke that occurs in your occipital lobe.

If you’re having an occipital stroke, your symptoms will be different than symptoms for other types of strokes. The possible complications will also be unique.

The main symptoms associated with an occipital stroke involve changes to your vision. You may experience loss of one side of vision from both eyes or even blindness.

The severity of your symptoms will depend on the severity of the stroke. Your symptoms will also differ depending on the part of the occipital lobe affected by the stroke. For example, if the stroke affects the central part of the lobe, you’ll be unable to see objects in your direct line of sight.

A stroke in the left side of your occipital lobe will affect the right half of your vision in both eyes. A stroke in the right side will affect the left half of your vision in both eyes. A stroke affecting both sides may lead to cortical blindness.

The loss of vision on one side can affect the whole left or right side of both eyes, or just the upper or lower half, as these sections have certain areas of the occiptal lobe dedicated to them.

A complete loss of vision is an emergency, and you shouldn’t ignore it. Get immediate medical help if this occurs. Complete loss of vision may lead to permanent blindness.

General symptoms of a stroke may include:

Stroke is a medical emergency

It’s important to receive treatment right away. If you think you may be having a stroke, call 911 or your local emergency services immediately.

Obstruction in arteries supplying blood to the brain causes approximately 87% of strokes, known as ischemic strokes. A blood clot is an example of an obstruction.

The remaining 13% are typically due to a leaking blood vessel or a blood vessel rupturing in the brain. This results in what’s known as a hemorrhagic stroke.

Obstructions or hemorrhages in a few arteries can cause an occipital lobe stroke. The most common are:

  • basilar artery, in front of the brain stem (where your brain meets your spinal cord)
  • vertebral arteries, on either side of your neck
  • posterior cerebral artery (PCA), which runs from the back of your brain through to your brainstem

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is the leading risk factor for stroke. Research suggests that almost two-thirds of people with stroke have high blood pressure.

High blood pressure increases the pressure placed on your arteries. This can damage the walls of your arteries, causing them to thicken and narrow.

Additional risk factors for stroke include:

Your risk of stroke also increases with age. Starting at age 55, your risk nearly doubles every 10 years.

Older research suggests that people who have occipital ischemic strokes tend to be younger than people with other types of strokes. They also tended to have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Newer research is lacking, but a 2021 study found similar results among people who had occipital hemorrhagic strokes.

A doctor will review your signs and symptoms with you. They’ll go over your medical history, perform a physical exam, and run any relevant tests.

During your physical exam, your doctor will check your vision, balance, and coordination abilities and assess your alertness. If they suspect you’ve had a stroke, they’ll also perform a series of diagnostic tests, which may include:

Immediate treatment of stroke involves restoring blood flow to the affected part of the brain. This could involve medications or surgery.

Once doctors restore blood flow and resolve emergency symptoms, your treatment depends on the severity of the stroke and any complications you may have.

If you have vision problems, your doctor will refer you to a neuro-ophthalmologist or neuro-optometrist. They’ll determine a rehabilitation plan that should help restore some of your vision or help you adjust to any vision loss.

Your doctor may recommend compensatory vision therapy. This therapy uses prisms to shift images from the field of your vision that’s impaired to your functioning field of vision.

People with occipital strokes are less likely to experience long-term disability or death due to stroke. However, visual challenges can persist and significantly affect quality of life.

It may take months to see any visual field improvement following an occipital stroke. However, each person’s recovery is unique, and recovery time can vary from weeks to years. Some people may fully recover, while others will have impaired vision or other complications for the rest of their lives.

A 2020 study found that starting visual training within 3 months of the stroke could help stop vision loss and aid recovery. Waiting longer than 6 months to start training is associated with a less favorable outlook.

You may require ongoing emotional support, rehabilitation, and medications. Continue to see your doctor and take medications as recommended. You should also participate in any rehabilitation plan your doctor recommends.

What is the survival rate after an occipital lobe stroke?

A small 2021 study found that 94% of people with a hemorrhagic stroke in the occipital lobe were still alive at both 3 and 12 months after the stroke.

The survival rates for ischemic strokes are typically higher than for hemorrhagic strokes.

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Each year, 185,000 U.S. people have a recurrent stroke, meaning they’ve had a stroke before. You may not be able to prevent a stroke entirely, but you can reduce your risk by making certain lifestyle changes, such as:

An occipital stroke starts in the occipital lobe at the back of your brain. This part of your brain is responsible for processing visual information, so a stroke here can cause severe visual symptoms.

Your specific symptoms will depend on the location of the stroke within the occipital lobe. Many people experience vision loss in one side of their visual field in both eyes. Some people may experience complete vision loss.

Starting visual training within 3 months of your stroke can improve your chances of a better recovery of vision after an occipital stroke.