Will Warfarin Help In Regaining Peripheral Vision On Left Side Which Was Affected Due To A Stroke?

Posted on Mon, 9 Dec 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 9 Dec 2013 Answered on

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : My wife (74) recently had a small stroke that has affected her eyesight. She's not blind and an optometrist and an opthamologist have said her eyes are in very good shape. But the images are scrambled and her periferal vision on the left hand side is gone. There are no other symptoms. Is there anything we can do? Will it get better with medication - she's on warfarin of course - or exercise? If it will repair about how long will it take; there's been no improvement so far in five weeks.

Answered by Dr. Dadapeer K (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: IT CAN BE BRANCH RETINAL ARTERY OR VEIN OCCLUSION. Detailed Answer: Hello, Welcome to Health care magic Iam Dr. Dadapeer K, an Ophthalmologist and i answer health problems related to eye. It seems from the history that your 74 year old wife had a stroke following which she has lost peripheral vision on left hand side. She is on treatment with anticoagulant drug WARFARIN. It seems like she is having branch retinal artery or retinal vein occlusion affecting the retina leading to loss of vision in the affected segment. She first requires examination of retina by retina specialist for confirmation of diagnosis. Since her central vision is not affected her chance of visual impairment are good. This may take up to 3 months if this is caused by branch retinal artery or retinal vein occlusion as I am suspecting. However she requires regular followup during this period to prevent any complications which may lead to visual impairment. Hope the information provided by me is helpful With regards Dr. Dadapeer K

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dadapeer K (22 hours later)

Thank you for your speedy reply. Her vision is "not clear," she tells me - a little fragmented. Bright lights overhead disturb her and she wears a visor to avoid these. However she can read in good sunlight. The central part of vision is the best but left periferal is very bad. It's been five weeks and no improvement. She is getting all the tests, of course. Is there anything else we can do? She cannot drive.

Answered by Dr. Dadapeer K (4 minutes later)

Brief Answer: She needs retinal examination. Detailed Answer: Hello, Thank you for the follow up query. I think first she needs to consult ophthalmologist and needs to undergo Fundus examination to look for retinal problems which affect periphery of the retina. Later she can undergo other tests depending on the results of her retinal examination. Hope I have answered your query. Thank you

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar