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" Question My father has started to have blurred and double vision.  He has been for an eye test and was referred to the hospital.  After tests he was told he had suffered a mild stroke in his sleep that has affected his eyes.  The consultant said his vision should reappear within six weeks.  It has now been about six months and his vision has deteriorated dramatically &amp;amp;#8211; he can hardly see his feet.  He has now been diagnosed with diplopia.  Could you please tell me about this condition because my father is depressed and hoping his eyesight will come back?    Answer I sympathise with your father. It&amp;#039;s devastating to suddenly loose a large area of visual field.  The change from full vision to the loss of sight to one side, or in downward gaze as you describe for your father, causes real distress.  It could be that he is unable to see steps and to safely navigate around the house without an escort.  A stroke involving sight can cause damage to the rear part of the brain itself, or to any part of the visual pathway.  The precise pattern of the visual field defect is important in enabling diagnosis of the site of the damage resulting from the acute event.  The specialist ophthalmologist will seek to map this defect using a machine that requires the ability of the patient to understand and cooperate for about 15 to 20 minutes.  Diplopia is a term that means double vision.  This will happen if there is an imbalance in the powers of the muscles that control the movements of the eyes &amp;amp;#8211; they don&amp;#039;t move exactly together.  This causes an overlap of images from the two eyes and the brain dislikes receiving differing images.  A stroke can damage the nerve supply to the groups of muscles that move either the eye or eyelid.  Unfortunately, damage to the brain by a stroke will usually be permanent. If there was only a temporary loss of blood supply to one eye by momentary interruption of flow to an artery &amp;amp;#8211; this is more likely to be temporary and to recover.  Uncertainty is among the worst things for people to face.  It would be useful for your father to have a full visual examination to include visual field testing. Some opticians will do this and report their findings to the GP.  But usually it&amp;#039;s necessary to ask the GP to arrange for an appointment at the eye hospital.  Once you and your father know exactly what he&amp;#039;s facing, it will be easier for you to plan how best to cope with the difficulties.  Yours sincerely  The NetDoctor Medical Team   Other Qs &amp;amp; As Any new information about dry eyes? Blocked nose and eyes - what can I do? Bloodshot eyes - is Warfarin to blame? Can anything be done about my droopy eyelid? Can anything help with puffy eyes? Corneal dystrophy How can I stop my eyes from watering so much? How does the eye work? I have grey rings in my eyes Inflammation of the eyelids I&amp;#039;ve got a black spot in my eye I&amp;#039;ve got dark patches round my eyes My eye has been twitching for months My eyelid is swollen and hurts when I blink My mother-in-law has watery eyes What can I do about my deteriorating eyesight? What can I do to clear bruising under eyes? Why did my eye turn red after I vomited? Yellow eyes   Last updated 29.01.2012 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/ask-the-expert/eyes/a5293/loss-of-sight-after-a-stroke/>